A Dragons Heart
by AisuDragonSlayer
Summary: Edolas is over and life for the Fairy Tail guild is returning to normal. However questions are raised concerning one of it's members. *This story is set after Edolas*
1. Chapter 1

**A Dragons Heart**

After the events of Edolas, the members of Fairy Tail were looking forward to relaxing and enjoying some peace and quiet. However...

"Hey! Put some clothes on pervert!" A cherry blossom haired boy roared as he leapt through the air towards a half naked black haired boy. "Make me slanty eyes!" he retorted as he readied himself for the impending attack.

"Natsu! Gray! Knock it off!" a scarlet haired beauty demanded, her brown eyes cold and menacing. Both boys froze in their tracks, the pair of them as white as sheets.

"Aye sir!" they exclaimed in unison and tried, unconvincingly, to make out they were really good friends.

"If you two ate more fish you wouldn't fight so much" a blue Exceed proclaimed with a mouth full of fish.

"That's just stupid, even by your standards Happy" a young blonde girl said in disbelieve.

"Crudely put but Lucy is correct. Fish isn't the solution to everything Happy". Oblivious to her mockery Happy approached the white Exceed with a fish wrapped in a big red bow, "Here Carla, want a fish?"

"A man doesn't want fish!" A tall, muscular white haired man shouted, raising both fists in the air like he had said something truly philosophical and worthy of praise. "SHUT UP!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison as they both swung their fists towards the fool. Landing their blows, Elfman was sent flying across the guild hall towards Lucy and the two Exceeds were sitting. Lucy quickly jumped out of harms way and while complimenting her own finely tuned reflexes, crashed into Gray. The pair feel to the floor with Lucy smothering Gray's face with her ample chest.

Holding her head in pain Lucy looked up to see a tall bluenette staring angrily at her, "LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia growled as she unleashed water slicer toward Lucy. Soon the entire guild hall was in a free for all. Tables were smashed, chairs were thrown in every direction, shouts and screams could be heard by the citizens of Magnolia.

"WILL YOU BRATS SETTLE DOWN!" A booming voice rang out across the hall as a large fist came flying down from above. Natsu looked up just in time to see the fist heading in his direction, "Eh?!". He couldn't move in time and the bolder sized fist slammed him into the ground. The guild fell silent, standing above them on the second floor was the guild's Master. Makarov.

He's eyes glowed a bright yellow as he stared at the unconscious pink haired boy below him. "Natsu, why are you always causing trouble? Why are you always fighting with your nakama?".

An deflated wimper was his only response, "NATSU!" the old man shouted. "Excuse me, Master? He's unconscious" Mirajane interrupted, however this seemed to annoy Makarov even further.

"Impotent brat! How dare you fall unconscious while I'm yelling at you!"  
"You are the one that hit him, Master"  
"That's no excuse!"

Gray stood up and looked down at Natsu, "Gramps does have a point. Why is he always starting fights? For as long as I've known him he's always been highly strung". Lucy was dusting herself off, "Well maybe...", her sentenced was cut short as she spotted a pair a dark blue eyes, peeking over Grays shoulder, piercing into her soul, "Love rival!" Juvia growled. Erza chimed in, "It's strange we've known Natsu for a long time but we've never really questioned his motives and behaviour before." There was a long pause while Erza seemed to be contemplating the implications, "It's all my fault! Natsu is a member of Fairy Tail just like the rest of us and I've neglected his emotional needs and so have allowed whatever burdens him to fester". Gray and Lucy both looked dumbstruck as they tried to take on board what Erza had said.

"Well that was dramatic. Couldn't it just be something as simple as he's an idiot who can only solve things by fighting?"

"That's a little unfair Gray. How many times has he saved you from doing something stupid"  
"No where near as often as he's done something stupid"

Erza rushed over to Natsu and pulled his head into her chest. A loud thud echoed throughout the hall as he struck her armour. "Hard..." Natsu murmured.

The guild hall doors opened and a white haired girl walked in carrying a box, "Oh Natsu, what have you done this time?" Her bright blue eyes immediately fixated on Natsu. Her heart started beating faster, causing her to blush slightly. This had not escaped the notice of her older sister, Mira, who simply gave a knowing smile to Lisanna before returning to her duties.

Lisanna walked over to Natsu and Erza, "Whatever am I going to do with you Natsu?", she smiled brightly as she gazed at him. "Welcome back Lisanna." Erza said as she stood up, dropping Natsu onto the floor, "How did it go?". Lisanna handed the box she had been carrying to Erza, "I checked to make sure it was the right one for you Erza" she beamed. Erza opened the box, "I'm grateful to you Lisanna. I would have gone myself but I had other things to take care off."

Inside the box was a beautifully decorated strawberry cake. There were stars in Erza's eyes as she stared in wonder at the cake. Natsu shot up suddenly, "Oh man! That smells great. I'm starving". Gray was infuriated, "Are you serious? You cause all this and all you can do is talk about food?"

Natsu looked at Gray, a confused expression on his face, "Huh? What are you talking about? What happened?"

Lucy and Gray fell to the floor. He really had forgotten what had go on just moments before. Lisanna laughed as she stared at Natsu's innocent features. He really was still that same sweet boy she remembered from her childhood. "Oh hey Lisanna. When did you get here?" Natsu asked, "I've been here awhile Natsu, I just gave Erza her cake", she replied slightly annoyed. Natsu stared blankly for awhile before a big grin spread across his face.

* * *

 **AN: This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. I hope you like it**


	2. A Dragons Heart Chapter 2

**A Dragons Heart**

 **Chapter 2**

A few days after Lisannas return to Earthland, Natsu had become distant and wasn't spending much time at the guild. One day he didn't turn up at all, concerned, Lisanna went out looking for him. There was only a couple of places he could be and she knew he wouldn't be at one of them because it wasn't the right time. That left only one possibility.

Standing outside a small straw hut, Natsu was staring at a grave he had erected for Lisanna. Deep in thought he didn't notice Lisanna was running up to him, "Natsu!" she cried out. He snapped out of his daze and turned to see a clearly upset Lisanna standing in front of him. Her face was stained by tears and she was out of breath, she had run the entire distant from the guild.

"Why haven't you been coming to the guild Natsu? It feels like your avoiding me..." she asked, struggling to hold back more tears. The very thought that he was actively avoiding her was too painful to bear after she had lost him for two whole years. Natsu looked into her blue eyes, he hated seeing her so upset. Something about it made his blood boil, "Why would I be avoiding you?" he asked, confused by her accusation.

"You've hardly been at the guild and you haven't taken any jobs recently. You didn't turn up at all today. Ever since I came back I've been looking forward to seeing you again. Those two years I spent in Edolas without you were... were..." She held her hands to her face as the tears started to flow again. Natsu stepped towards her, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

 _He's so warm._ She thought to herself as she felt a warm sensation flow through her body. Almost instantly her tears stopped as she felt a familiar comfort in his arms. She could feel her cheeks getting hotter as she wrapped her arms around Natsu.

"Well you did have that Edolas version of me. So really you didn't lose those two years", Natsu said cheerily, thinking he was being helpful. "He was _a_ Natsu...", Lisanna hugged him tighter, "But he wasn't _my_ Natsu". She pressed her head against his chest, she could hear his heart beating, a smile spread across her face as she felt completely safe.

"So what have you been doing then?" She asked abruptly. "I've been wondering what to do with this". He turned around and showed Lisanna the grave he had made for her.

"I had a grave at the church Natsu. Why did you make one here?"  
"You weren't there. You always loved coming here and watching the sun sets. I made this so you wouldn't miss any of them"

Lisanna wrapped her arms around Natsus arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Her heart was beating faster then normal. Being so close to _her_ Natsu again made her so happy. She gazed into Natsus eyes, "You kept your promise too" she smiled and tightened her grip around his arm. "Promise?" he quizzed.

"Remember? That time in the woods and I asked you if you'd come looking for me if I ever disappeared again? You were the first one to find me in Edolas, Natsu. You kept your promise".

Tears started to form in Lisannas eyes. Natsu did remember his promise and promised himself that he would never let Lisanna go again.

Later that evening the sun had long since set. A full moon now lit up the forest and mountains. Two figures could be seen walking up a hill towards the straw hut. It was Mirajane and Elfman looking for their younger sister. They peered inside the hut to see Natsu sat up against the back wall, fast asleep with Lisanna under his arm holding onto Natsu tightly. Between them was a curled up Happy, purring away as he nestled between the couple.

Elfman went to wake Lisanna to take her home but Mira grabbed his hand stopped him. Instead she carefully picked up Happy and handed him to Elfman. Then she unfolded a doubled sized blanket and wrapped it around Natsu and Lisanna. She then carefully put Happy back and placed a smaller blanket over him.

Happy stirred slightly, "No... Don't grill them Natsu..." he murmured in his sleep before he settled back down. Natsu was the next to stir, "But they taste better...", before his snoring resumed. Were they sleep talking?. Mira and Elfman both took another glance at the trio before heading back to the guild. When they were far enough away that wouldn't disturb them Elfman asked,

"Our baby sis has really grown hasn't she?"  
"She really has. It seems she's still very fond of Natsu too. I know he'll always protect her"  
"As he would any member of the guild, right?"  
"Even more so. He's always seemed to go that little bit further for Lisanna."

Mira remembered what Gildarts had said about how Natsu got on his knees and pleaded with a Forest Vulcan for Lisannas safety. Normally the head strong youngster would go all out to try and defeat his enemy. But not with Lisanna... Mira's train of thought was interrupted by Elfman suddenly bursting into tears.

"He's a real man!"  
"Oh now, now Nii-san"

The morning sun started to appear over the mountains, it's light shining down on the hut. Natsu was the first to wake. He was briefly confused as to where the blanket came from but didn't question it as he could smell Mira's scent on it. She had obviously come to check on them at some point. He looked down and saw Lisanna's bright blue eyes staring back at him. She stretched before wrapping her arms back around him, "Good morning, dear!" she said happily. Natsu looked confused, Lisanna flashed him a hard stare, "Good morning, dear!" she repeated in a slightly harsher tone. He suddenly remembered, "Oh, uh. Good morning, honey!".

Lisanna beamed at Natsu, "You're just too cute sometimes". She giggled playfully as Natsu's face turned bright red. "You don't need to tease me you know!". Lisanna laughed even more. Happy woke suddenly, "Natsu! How could you!? Fish taste better raw!". He had a look of utter betrayal on his face. Both Lisanna and Natsu laughed at Happy, he had clearly been dreaming about fish. Lisanna folded up the blankets and the three of them headed outside.

"Oh. You're already up". Mira had come to check on them again. "Onee-chan! Thanks for the blankets last night. You didn't have to though." Lisanna cheerily greeted her older sister. "You're still my baby sister. It'll always be my job to look out for you" Mira smiled at Lisanna. "Now come along you three. It's almost time for breakfast."

Natsu looked back at the hut. He was deep in thought again, thinking about all the times he and Lisanna had stayed out here to hatch Happy's egg. "Natsu! Are you coming?" Lisanna called. "I'll catch up. You go ahead." he smiled back.

Lisanna ran up to Natsu and once again wrapped her arms around but this time she pressed her lips against his warm cheek. She looked into his eyes, "Don't be long, Ok?" she smiled as she ran back to Mira and started heading back to the guild.

Natsu watched her until she disappeared behind a hill. Suddenly Happy leapt up behind Natsu, "You love her!", he snickered. Natsu's face turned bright read, "Will you knock that off!". Happy started flying circles around Natsu chanting "You love her!" constantly. Natsu ran around after him, screaming at the top of his lungs, fire blasting out of his mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hmm." Lucy stared at the job board, perplexed. All the good jobs were taken and it seemed like Natsu and the others all wanted to work alone for some reason. "Can't find a job you like Lucy?", Mira had watched the blonde girl staring at the board for awhile.

"Well it's not that. It's just that Natsu always seems to be doing jobs on his own. We're supposed to be a team, right?"  
"Oh I wouldn't worry too much. It's almost time for the solo season and Natsu always likes to get a head start."  
"Solo season?"  
"It'll make sense once the Master makes his announcement in a few weeks time."

Mira smiled and headed back to the bar. Lucy followed, sat down let out a loud sigh. "You OK, Lucy?" Lisanna approached the deflated blonde. Before she could answer Natsu suddenly appeared scaring Lucy so much she fell off her stool. He was more pent up than usual, "Mira! I'm taking this job!" he declared, practically running on the spot.

"Oh my you're so energetic today Natsu", Mira smiled, "Are you going to be alright with this one? It's a four hour train journey". Natsu was getting impatient and started running even harder on the spot, "I don't have time to worry about that, I need to get going". Mira laughed, "OK fine. Off you go!".

Natsu stormed off in a blaze, "Alright! Let's go, Happy!". The blue Exceed quickly followed, "Aye sir!" and soon the pair had disappeared into the distance. Lucy had found her way back onto the stool, "He really needs to find some way to spend his energy that doesn't involve destroying everything in sight", Lucy sighed. A devilish grin spread across Mira's face as she turned to look at Lisanna

Lisanna's face turned bright red, "Onee-chan!" she shouted, completely shocked by what her older sister was insinuating. Lucy and Mira both giggled as Lisanna struggled to compose herself.

"Sir, the train's about to depart. Are you getting on or not?", a disgruntled train conductor asked impatiently. "Argh! Why did no one tell me this job involved taking a train!" Natsu yelled. "Well actually, Mira did tell you but you were too busy jogging to listen" Happy chimed in, "Maybe we should've gone to see Wendy first". Natsu continued ranting as the conductor grew even more impatient.

Back at the guild Makarov had received news that his old friend Master Bob, of the Blue Pegasus guild, would be visiting Fairy Tail and he would be joined by some of it's members. After hearing about Fairy Tail's adventure in Edolas, Master Bob was keen to hear more about it and some of his members were eager to see the Fairy Tail members that had helped them to defeat Oración Seis.

The guild was busy making preparations for the visit. Makarov was sitting at the bar talking with Mira, "Where's Natsu? I haven't seen him around much lately" he asked, "He's been taking a lot of solo jobs recently but he does this around this time every year, Master". Makarov was deep in thought now, recently something about Natsu had been concerning him and with the trials coming up he really needed to speak to him about it.

"Did you need him for something Master?"  
"Let me ask you something Mira. Have you noticed anything about Natsu recently? About his behaviour towards the other guild members?"

"Well, now that you mention it he does seem to be starting more fights recently..."  
"It's not just that. His seems far more agitated than usual whenever he's not fighting, he's attacking far more aggressively too. It goes without saying I'm very concerned about him."

"I'll talk with Lisanna and see if she knows anything Master."  
"Why Lisanna?"

Mira let a small giggle at Makarov's obliviousness towards Natsu's and Lisanna's closeness. "Just leave with me Master, I'm sure it's nothing too serious"

Makarov was growing more concerned. Ever since Natsu joined the guild he always felt like the boy was hiding something. What could it be? His train of thought was interrupted

"Such a serious look Makarov. Anyone would think you weren't happy to see me", Master Bob had arrived and already one of his guild members was causing problems. Erza was as stiff as board. Her body felt like a million spiders, with needles for legs, were crawling all over her.

 _Kun-Kun Kun-Kun_

"Such a sweet parfum, my honey", Ichiya, a perfume magic user, was always hitting on Erza. Completely oblivious to the fact that she couldn't stand being around him. "Just allow me to partake in your parfum, my honey!". Erza snapped and swung her armoured fist at the orange fool. Knocking him through the air he cried out, "Meeeeeen!" as he collided with Gray.

Master Bob had witnessed the whole incident and immediately rushed over to help, "Oh my! Are you hurt?" he called out in concern. Ichiya reached up, "Men...". Master Bob ignored him and moved over to Gray. He placed a hand behind Grays head and gently lifted him up.

He lowered his head to Grays mouth to see if he was still breathing. Directly behind them the guild doors opened and Juvia walked in. She immediately spotted Master Bob holding Gray in a tender embrace and moving his face away from Grays, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you. Poor young thing".

"JUBIN!" she shrieked.

Juvia disappeared into her own world, where her worst nightmares were confirmed.

"I'm sorry, Juvia. But I intend to marry Master Bob. He took such good care of me when I was injured."

An image of Gray sporting a white spaghetti-strap shirt with attached wings. Blue and white striped shorts, complete with blush on his cheeks and lipstick. He looked identical to Master Bob as they gave their marriage vows.

"How many children should we adopt, Gray-sama?"

"Let's get thirty babies!"

Another image forced it's way into Juvia's mind. The happily married Bob and Gray are in a tender embrace on a sofa as they are surrounded by small children. All of whom, for some reason, look like mini Ichiyas. The children are all crying out "Men!".

Juvia was slumped in a corner of the guild, depressed by all the terrible sights she had witnessed. Levi turned to Gajeel, who was pre-occupied with his feast of bits of iron. "Gajeel? What's wrong with Juvia?". Without even looking up from his meal, "How would I know?!"

Meanwhile at a train station several miles away from the guild, Natsu had completed his journey and was recovering on the platform. "Make it stop!", he cried out weakly. "But Natsu we've been off the train for awhile now. We need to get moving".

A loud roar brought Natsu around. The sound of the citizens screaming outside forced him into action. He stepped outside and watched in shock as dozens of Wyvern were attacking the citizens and destroying the buildings.

Natsu's fists became engulfed in flames. Without hesitation he launched himself towards the closest Wyvern. "Fire Dragon Fist!", he shouted as landed his blow directly under the creatures jaw. The Wyvern fell to the ground, it was down for the count. Natsu stood his ground as the remaining Wyvern closed in on him. "Man, I was hoping to fight something more powerful than these things! Oh well, no point in dragging this out".

Natsu ran towards the approaching hoard. His fists once again a blaze with flame. He prepared his strike as he roared into battle.

Back at the guild, Makarov had received an important looking letter from the Magic Council. His jaw dropped and his face went white as he read some all too familiar words. Natsu Dragneel. Town destroyed. Letter of Apology. Bill.

Amongst the chaos of the town Natsu stood on top of a pile of Wyvern, itching for a more challenging fight.

"Impressive. But you have rather spoiled my plans!"

A cloaked figure stood on top of the local church, one of the few buildings to survive Natsu's rampage. He withdrew a large sword from under the cloak before jumping off the roof towards Natsu.

"This is the end for you. Dragon Slayer!"


	4. Chapter 4

The road caved in where the blade had struck, dust and debris filled the immediate area. "You dodged it? Are your reflexes really that quick? Or are you a coward?!" The cloaked man snarled. Natsu had jumped back several feet, moments before the blade struck. "Who are you?!" Natsu demanded.

The man tore off his cloak and tossed it to the side. He didn't seem all that much to look at. His armour was basic and he was kinda scrawny too. His dark green hair was messy and his right eye was missing, covered by a patch. "I'm the man whose going to put you down, 'Son of Igneel'" he said, mockingly. Natsu narrowed his eyes, he hated hearing anyone mocking his father or the fact he was raised by a dragon.

Without thinking Natsu launched himself at the stranger. There was no way such basic armour was going to withstand his Fire Dragon Fist. His fists a blaze he swung out at the stranger, "Fire Dragon...". Natsu was caught off guard as the man's body was enveloped in a bright yellow light. Suddenly a huge metal fist emerged from the light, striking Natsu's face and sending him flying into a pile of rubble.

Natsu pulled himself up and glanced over at the strange man. _What the hell!?_

His armour had changed! He was now wearing a black armour that only covered his arms and legs. But the hands and feet were oversized, at least three times the size of the man's actual hands and feet.

"Re-quip?!" Natsu was stunned. An evil smile spread across the man's face, "You didn't honestly think Erza Scarlett was the only Re-quip mage in Fiore, did you?"

Natsu smiled, "I'm all fired up now! If I can beat you, then I can beat Erza!". He slammed his fists together as he prepared himself to attack. Suddenly the man started laughing, manically. "If you can beat that weakling, Erza Scarlett. Then you have no chance of defeating me!" he cackled.

Back at Fairy Tail the members of Blue Pegasus were still causing problems. Gray was trying desperately to escape the stubbly embraces of Master Bob, Ichiya was now only sporting an unflattering pair of speedos as he continued his pointless pursuit of Erza. Lisanna, Lucy and Wendy had found themselves the focus or Ichiya's team mates; Hibiki, Ren and Eve.

Together with Ichiya, their leader, these four form Team Trimen. Very aware of their own good looks and gentle attitudes, they have gained a reputation for being womanisers. With the exception of Ichiya, these men have a very high level of success with the ladies and are often relentless in their charm offences.

While Lucy and Wendy were trying to be polite to the boys, Lisanna was less than thrilled to be hit on by this detestable yet likeable trio. "No thanks. I'm spoken for!" she said bluntly. Undeterred Hibiki persisted, "A delicate flower, such radiant beauty such as yours cannot grow to it's full potential with the love of a lesser man. Come with me my sweet and our love will shine so bright, the Gods themselves will envy us". Hibiki seemed to sparkle as he spouted off his cheesy lines. However his face soon dropped as Lisanna stared into the man's eyes with an intensity that could almost rival her sisters.

"And if my man happened to be a fire breathing dragon? Would you still think him a 'lesser man?'". Hibiki's face turned white. _Oh god, she's with Natsu?._ "Oh... I, uh, just remembered I needed to see my Master about something...", he backed away shaking his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was get on Natsu's bad side.

Lucy had over heard Lisanna describing Natsu as "Her man". She had noticed that when Lisanna was caught by Lily the night they all returned from Edolas the very first person she ran to was Natsu. Were they really that close before? Was Natsu even capable of having romantic feelings? He always seemed so oblivious to romance. Come to think of it they did spend the night together at that straw hut... Lucy's face turned bright red as her mind trailed off.

Natsu was breathing heavily, his clothes were torn and his top was hanging on by a thread. "Is that it?" the man growled, "Is that really all you have? I guess this is only further proof."

Happy interrupted. "Natsu we have to get out off here!". The man stepped up to Happy and glared at him, "Annoying!" he sneered as he punched the Exceed into the ground. "Happy!" Natsu roared as he lunched at the re-quip mage, "Fire Dragon..." before he could complete his attack the man grabbed Natsu by the head and slammed him into the ground. Natsu let out a cry as pain ran through out his body.

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of me. Erza doesn't take defeat well."  
"What? You were the one who defeated Erza?"

Natsu recalled that awhile ago Erza returned from a job, severally injured and barely able to walk...

"You lost? How could you lose to anyone?"  
"Calm down Natsu."

"But you're the strongest in the guild?!"  
"Strength isn't everything Natsu, sometimes you have to accept defeat"  
"No way! Who is this guy? I'll beat him, no problem!"  
"No Natsu! Largo Zein is far too powerful and dangerous. Promise me you will NOT confront him!"  
"Fine..."

Finally. Natsu was going to beat the guy who defeated Erza. "Yeah, she did mention you, 'Large Big Feet!". Largo snapped, "It's Largo Zein!". Natsu was confused, "Huh? Why did you change it?"

"I didn't change it! That's always been my name!". Happy chimed, "You said 'this was further proof' earlier. What does that even mean?"

Largo smirked. "It's further proof that Natsu Dragneel the Dragon Slayer, Son of Igneel. Is a fraud!"

Natsu and Happy looked concerned, ""What do you mean?" Happy asked. "Exactly that. I'm not opposed to all fraudsters. I, myself, trained these Wyvern to attack towns in order to extort protection money from the citizens. But you, Natsu, you're far worse than I am. You claim to have been trained by a dragon, that your guild Is like a family and that you help others when they need it. This is a lie. Dragons died out four hundred years and from what I've observed you treat your nakama like rivals, rather than friends. As far helping others? You merely extort money from the gullible before you destroy their homes."

Natsu was becoming enraged. "Don't you dare insult the Fairy Tail guild by comparing us to a low life like you! I was trained by a dragon, Igneel taught me Fire Dragon Slayer magic before he disappeared seven years ago."

"So he abandoned you!" Largo mocked. "That explains a great deal more. A father abandoning his worthless, delinquent son. So as not to be shamed by such a pitiful weakling! In your fathers absense I shall punish you instead. For ruining my extortion plans and clinging to the fantasy of dragons and guilds I shall show you the power I used to defeat Erza Scarlett!"

Natsu readied himself. His blood was boiling, he was going to make this guy pay for hurting Erza, insulting the Fairy Tail guild and mocking Igneel.

An evil smirk spread across Largo's face  
"Dark Re-quip: Oblivion Armour"

Purple flames enveloped Largo's body as he re-quipped his armour. "Happy! Get out of here", Natsu demanded, "But I can't leave you alone, Natsu!". Happy was terrified of the increase in Largo's power but couldn't bring himself to abandon his closest friend. "Happy! The guild needs to know about what's going on here, I'll be fine. Just go". He placed his hand on the Exceeds head with a big smile on his face, "Don't worry. This guys going to get the beating of his life.". Happy nodded, "Aye sir!" he shouted as he quickly took off towards the guild.

"Foolish boy. Bringing your guild into this is by far the worse thing you could've done. You really don't have any regard for their safety do you?". The purple flames died down revealing Largo's Oblivion Armour. It resembled a demon in it's appearance. The helmet was a purple monster head with horns sticking up from the sides. The eyes covered Largo's own eyes but both were glowing a menacing red. His body was covered in a purple shroud, in his hand he held a staff. At the top was a large silver skull with purple flames in it's mouth, It was surrounded by five small silver skulls at the base of the staff, placed in a pentagon shape.

"It doesn't matter in the end, I suppose. By the time they get here, you'll be dead"


	5. Chapter 5

Things were finally starting to calm down at the guild when Happy, injured and exhausted, flew into the guild hall before collapsing. Lisanna was the first to reach him, she cradled the Exceed in her arms. "Happy! What happened to you? And where's Natsu?". Barely conscious Happy struggled to get his words out, "Natsu's... in trouble... Largo...".

Erza heard the name and her blood ran cold, "Largo? Happy is Natsu fighting Largo Zein?!". Happy looked over at Erza, tears were now pouring down his face, "Aye! Natsu told me to get here as quickly as I could... You must save him, Erza...". Happy lost consciousness. Erza was both enraged and worried. _How could Natsu be so stupid as to take on Largo?!._

"Lucy, Gray, Wendy I need you to come with me to help save Natsu. He doesn't know how dangerous Largo is." Gray seemed reluctant, "Aren't you overreacting a bit Erza?. This is Natsu we're talking about here.". Lucy chimed in, "Who is Largo anyway? I've never heard of him."

Erza looked concerned, "Largo Zein is a Re-quip mage who specialises in dark re-quip magic. A few years ago I took a job that required the removal of Wyvern from a town, out near the boarders of Fiore. I cleared out the Wyvern easy enough but then he appeared. Apparently he had trained the Wyvern to attack towns so he could extort money from the citizens. He despises guilds and often sends out false job requests just so he can lure guild mages to him. Then... he kills them".

Lisanna was holding her hands over her mouth. Trying desperately not to break down. Natsu was in serious danger, she had to get to him and make sure he was safe. "So what happened between you and Largo?", Lucy asked. "I had to retreat...". Everyone in the guild hall was listening at this point and were shocked to hear that Erza, of all people, was forced to retreat. "His dark re-quip magic is too dangerous, to keep on fighting would have been foolish. That's why we need to get to Natsu as fast as possible. He doesn't know how to back down and that hard headed nature is going to get him killed."

"Man that's a creepy looking stick you've got there." Natsu declared, "It's called a staff you moron. Don't you know anything?". Natsu stared at Largo, confused "What's the difference?" he asked. Largo's face dropped. _What's wrong with this fool? Does he not understand I intend to kill him? Why is he wasting time asking stupid questions?_ "Enough of this foolishness.". He pointed his staff at Natsu, an eerie smirk spread across his face. Suddenly the largest skull launched from the staff and collided with Natsu's chest, forcing him through several small buildings.

The dust began to settle and Largo could see that his attack hadn't landed as he had thought. Natsu was still standing, his arms stretched out in front of him keeping the skull at bay. The force of the attack did little more than push the young Dragon Slayer back. "Impressive! But your observational skills are severely lacking!", Largo cackled. That's when Natsu noticed that the five smaller skulls on the staff were also missing. He heard a noise heading towards him, it was fast. Before he could react one of the smaller skulls flew towards him and hit him on the side of his face, sending Natsu crashing into a large wall. Struggling to catch his breath. Natsu tried to pull himself up but it was too late. All six skulls were hovering above him, a sinister purple light forming in their mouths.

Largo's eyes widened, "Hell's Rain". He snarled. The skulls let out a barrage of energy blasts on Natsu. His screams echoed throughout the deserted town.

On a train heading towards Natsu's location. Erza, Lucy, Gray, Wendy and Lisanna were all wishing the train would move faster. Lisanna had insisted on coming despite Erza's and Mirajane's protests. She wasn't going abandon Natsu, not when his life was in danger. "Erza, what is it about Largo's magic that makes him so dangerous? And why does he lure guild mages to him?" Lisanna asked. Erza didn't want to admit the truth in front of Lisanna as it would no doubt cause her a great deal of pain to hear it. Reluctantly she answered, "There's a particular armour he uses called Oblivion Armour. It's incredibly powerful dark magic. A side effect of the magic is that it drains the user of his life force. His body decays overtime, so he needs to replenish his life force in order to stay alive. To do that he picks one particular mage from a guild. He'll spend weeks, even months watching his intended victim, learning everything about them. Their magic, their attacks, their day to day activities, who they're closest too. He'll use this knowledge to create a false job request that would appeal only to them. Once he has them alone he'll use his attacks to weaken their bodies and his knowledge of them to destroy their morale. After he's accomplished this... he absorbs their life force to replenish his own."

Lisanna's heart sank. _Please be OK Natsu. We're almost there. Just please, hang on._

"Had enough yet boy?!". Largo sneered. Natsu suddenly leapt up, his fist a blaze as he lunged at Largo. But before he could land his attack, Largo's hand emerged from the shroud and grabbed Natsu's, instantly putting his flame out. Largo's hand was almost skeletal, his skin was dark and flaking, as if he was in the last stages of decomposing. He raised Natsu into the air before slamming him back onto the ground. Largo then placed his foot on Natsu's head and pressed down hard.

"You really should give up. Your father's abandoned you. Your guild has forsaken you, even your little cat friend ran in fear and left you alone to die. No ones coming for you Dragon Slayer and once I'm done with you I'm going to kill the only person you ever loved.". _Lisanna!_ Natsu's blood began to boil. "Yes her!", Largo sneered, "A pretty girl. Shame you've neglected her feelings for so long. Maybe I'll give her what she wants, have some fun her... _Before I kill her!"_ he licked his lips and laughed manically.

Fire started to engulf Natsu's body, "Don't you dare...", he began to push himself up, lifting Largo off his head, "THREATEN LISANNA!" Natsu roared as he forced himself up, sending Largo flying into the church. Natsu was now surrounded by flames, he roared loudly as the flames shot into the air. But it was different, the longer he roared the less human it sounded. It almost sounded like... a dragons roar. Largo stared in amazement as the boys magic power kept increasing. His eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be a giant red dragon standing behind Natsu. He kept watching, something was happening. Natsu was changing, something was forming on his arms and around his eyes. They looked like dragon scales.

The roaring stopped. Natsu's whole demeanour was different. The idiot that Largo had fought before was gone. Standing in front of him now was pure rage. Natsu's eyes were piercing, filled with anger and hate. He launched forward at Largo at an incredible speed and landed his fist on Largo's face. "FIRE DRAGON FIST!" Natsu pursued the helpless Largo as he flew through the air.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"  
"FIRE DRAGON CLAW!"  
"FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!"  
"FIRE DRAGON SWROD HORN!"

Natsu unleashed a constant barrage of attacks on Largo. As he fell through the air his Oblivion Armour disappeared and his basic armour returned.

Still enraged Natsu prepared one final attack. His whole body a blaze he charged towards the still falling Largo. "HIDDEN FIRE FORM CRIMSON LOTUS BLADE!". Natsu flew towards Largo, his head hitting his armour. Largo's armour disintegrated as a huge explosion engulfed the pair and the remains of the town.

Natsu was still standing, barely. He used up all his magic energy in that last attack. But he wasn't going to let Largo get away with threatening Lisanna. He staggered over to where Largo was laying, he was still alive. Natsu picked him up by the neck and held him up against the remains of a wall. Raising a fist Natsu glared at Largo, "You threatened Lisanna, insulted my guild and Igneel. I can never...". He was stopped suddenly as he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his abdomen. He looked down to see that Largo had stabbed him with a small knife.

Natsu could feel his body going numb and a searing pain running through his entire being. Natsu began to feel weak, he stumbled back a few steps before falling to the ground. An evil laugh erupted from Largo. "So that's the power of a Dragon Slayer! I have to admit I am impressed, absorbing your life force would most certainly have given a boost to my own power. Unfortunately you've forced my hand and now you're simply going to die. The poison in your body will first drain you of your magic abilities and then you will die. Slowly and very painfully. Sadly that means that I cannot take your life force so I'll take it from someone else." An evil sneer spread across his, "Maybe I'll go pay a visit to your little girlfriend, I'm sure she'll need consoling once she learns of your death." Largo laughed as he left the area to recover.

Natsu stared up at the blue sky, the sun was beaming down him. He struggled to breath, he wanted to cry out from the pain but no sound came out. His breathing became shallower as everything started to turn black.

The sun was beginning set, a group of voices could be heard echoing throughout the remains of the town. "Natsu!" the group were shouting. Erza, Gray, Lucy, Wendy and Lisanna were searching desperately for him as night drew nearer. The battle had been over for some time and the group were getting more concerned with each passing hour. Erza was preparing herself for the worst she knew she would have to stay strong for everyone should her worst fears come to pass.

Lisanna turned a corner. Her heart sank as she saw a lifeless body laying in the open. The wind blowing through a mound of pink hair. She ran over to the body, tears already pouring down her cheeks. She knelt down beside the lifeless figure.

"NATSU!" she cried out.


	6. Chapter 6

Lisanna's cry echoed throughout the demolished town. Erza, Lucy, Gray and Wendy all heard the distressing scream, their hearts skipped a beat as their blood ran cold. Fearing the worst they all ran towards Lisanna's location, spotting Lisanna cradling Natsu's body they ran desperately to reach her.

Erza immediately checked Natsu's injuries and searched for signs of life. He was still breathing. An overwhelming sense of relief came over her, but she had to stay focused for now. She still had to pay him back for saving her at the Tower of Heaven. His body was burning up, some kind of fever had settled in. He had been poisoned and knowing Largo this was no ordinary poison.

"Lucy! Get the Communication Lacrima out. Wendy, please do what you can for Natsu!". Lucy reached into her bag and pulled out the lacrima while Wendy immediately began using her Sky Magic to heal Natsu. "Something's wrong!", Wendy cried out. "My healing magic is working the way it should. What kind of poison is this?". _I knew it!_ Erza thought to herself, "He's infused the poison with dark magic".

Lucy had established a connection with Makarov back at the guild. "Lucy! Did you find Natsu? Is he alright?". Erza stepped in front off Lucy to inform the guild of what was happening.

Back at the guild a stunned silence fell over the guild hall as Erza informed them of Natsu's condition. Makarov was visibly shaking as Erza uttered the words nobody at the guild wanted to hear. Natsu was dying. He wouldn't last long without a cure. Composing himself, Makarov formed a plan, "Erza, head back to the station and acquire a Magical Vehicle it'll get you back here faster than a train. Pick up Natsu and bring him back to the guild. Gray, it's vital that you do whatever you can to keep Natsu's body temperature down. It'll slow down the spread of the poison. Wendy, do whatever you can to delay the effects of poison as well. Lucy, try to make Natsu as comfortable as possible. We'll start making preparations on our end for when you return."

Erza nodded, "Right away, Master!". The transmission ended. Makarov turned to the rest of his children. "Mirajane, please prepare the infirmary. Jet, get to Porlyusica as fast as you can and bring her back here. Levy, go to the archives, find out anything you can about this Largo Zein and his Oblivion Armour. Bisca and Alzack, it's very likely that Largo will attack the guild I want you too on look out. Warren, I want you and the others on look out in Magnolia keep in contact at all times!."

The entire guild was now up in arms. Largo had made an enemy of Fairy Tail and they were going to make him regret it.

A few miles outside of Magnolia a magic powered car was travelling at high speed towards the guild. Erza had attached an SE plug to her wrist and was pushing herself to go as fast as possible. In the back of the car Wendy was desperately trying to use her Sky magic to counter the poison, Gray had formed an ice mist to cover Natsu's body in an attempt to keep his temperature down. Lucy had her arms wrapped tightly around a distraught Lisanna. Morale was at an all time low, Lucy was trying her best to reassure Lisanna that Natsu was going to be fine even though she didn't believe it herself. The strain was clearly taking it's toll on Gray and Wendy too, they had been using their magic non stop since getting Natsu into the car.

"How could I let this happen?", Erza blurted out. "Don't be so hard on yourself, no one could of predicted this." Gray said sharply.

"I should've been more aware, I saw that job request on the board and didn't do anything about it."  
"There's no way you could've known it was from Largo. You need to stop beating yourself up. Natsu's not a kid anymore, you need to stop feeling so responsible for him."  
"I should've been more clear with him about Largo. Natsu clearly had Largo on the ropes. That's when he resorts to cheap tactics."  
"Anyone of us could've taken that job Erza. You can't be responsible for all of us."

Tears were pouring down Erza's face. _Hang on Natsu!_

Makarov and Mira were standing outside the guild, keeping a constant eye out for any sign of Erza returning. "There they are!", Mira cried out. The car came speeding down the road, coming to a sudden stop outside the guild. Lisanna and Gray immediately brought Natsu out and carried him to the infirmary with everyone else following.

Natsu laid in bed, his physical injuries had been treated and bandaged. He was very pale and pouring with sweat. Lisanna sat beside his bed, gripping his hand tightly. She buried her face into the bed and sobbed into the sheets. Mira was standing beside her baby sister, stroking her hair. Happy was curled up under Natsu's arm. Gray had exhausted himself trying to keep Natsu cool, Juvia had taken over to allowing Gray to recover. She could regulate the temperature of her water so between herself and Gray keeping Natsu cool was relatively easy. Wendy also needed to take a break as she too had given everything she had, Carla had taken her back to the dorms so she could recuperate properly. Gray decided to remain close by, the rest would have to be up to Porlyusica when she arrived.

Levy was sitting at a table table opposite Natsu, using her Gale-force reading glasses to research Largo and his magic. Makarov stood beside her, getting anxious. "Have you found anything, Levy?". The petite bluenette paused for a moment, "I think so. Largo's Oblivion Armour is surprisingly basic. It seems like all it's power is focused in the staff, namely the six skulls. While all six skulls are in use, he himself is defenceless. Which would explain why he only lures out a single mage at a time. He can't use Oblivion if he's fighting multiple opponents."

Droy chimed in, "So why would he attack a guild if he can't fight multiple opponents?". Erza interjected, "He's a Re-quip mage. Like me, he has many different armours. Oblivion is his most powerful but most limited armour." She stood at the foot of Natsu's bed, fists clenched tightly.

Levy continued, "I've looked up Natsu's condition too. Infusing poison with dark magic appears to be relatively simple to prepare, fortunately the connection between the magic and poison is weak and unstable. We should prioritise removing the dark magic from Natsu's system, once that's done Wendy should be able to deal with the poison."

Gajeel had been watching Levy as she studied the books she had gathered, "Nice work, shrimp!". Levy puffed her cheeks out, she hated that nick name, "Don't call me that!". A smirk spread across Gajeel's face, "Gi hi".

The door to the infirmary opened abruptly. "You're quite correct in your deductions girl." A tall pink haired woman walked in, "Fist we target the dark magic and then deal with the poison. Dealing with the magic will take time, however, fortunately I am familiar with Largo's work and have already prepared a solution for the boy." Porlyusica walked straight over to Natsu to observe his condition, "You've done well in keeping his temperature down. I shall need you and the Ice Make mage to remain here." She glanced over at Lisanna, "Is she affected too?". Mira gripped Lisanna's shoulders tightly, "No. She and Natsu are very close. She cares a great deal about him, even more so than the rest of us." Porlyusica consider this information, "She can stay too, it may be important for the boys morale," There was a long pause, "THE REST OF YOU GET OUT!. I CAN'T STAND HUMANS!". She waved a broom around madly as she chased the others out of the infirmary.

With the room cleared she turned to Gray, "You get some rest. You and the Water mage will need to take shifts in keeping the boy cool.". After witnessing her skills with a broom, Gray wasn't prepared to argue. He took the bed next to Natsu's and tried to get some sleep. Juvia watched Gray sleeping on the bed, longing to be with him, she started to blush at the thought of the two of them in bed together. "DON'T GET SIDE TRACKED! FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND!". Porlyusica shouted, terrifying Juvia, "Juvia, will do her best!" she replied scared half to death.

With renewed determination Juvia focused on Natsu. She was still relatively new to the guild and had come to love everyone in Fairy Tail. She knew how much most of the members looked up to Natsu, she was going to do her very best to save him. Lisanna had stopped crying and was staring at Natsu. Her face was stained with tears. _Please stay strong Natsu. Please stay with me._

Just outside Magnolia a solitary figure was approaching. "So this is Magnolia, huh? That dragon brat should be long dead by now. I'll make quick work of the rest of the guild and use his girlfriend's life force to replenish myself!". Largo Zein had arrived.


	7. Chapter 7

"I've done all I can for him. It'll take some time for the dark magic to wear off. You said there was a mage here who could deal the poison?" Porlyusica asked. "Wendy can help. Juvia will go get her." Gray had taken Juvia's place and once again surrounded Natsu in a layer of icy mist. Juvia immediately left the infirmary and headed to Fairy Hills. Porlyusica also left, _Wendy? Is she the one?._ Porlyusica thought to herself as she headed back to East Forest.

Gray looked at Lisanna, she hadn't left Natsu's side for a moment. "You really ought to get some rest, I'll be watching him so you don't have to worry." Lisanna, while yawning, replied. "Thanks but I'm OK, really. I just want to be here for him. I can't do much else for him right now but maybe if he knows I'm here then he'll...". She started crying, it had been over twenty-four hours since they returned to the guild and Lisanna hadn't slept. She kept a constant watch over Natsu, looking for any sign of improvement. Wanting to be the first person he saw when he woke up, so many things she wanted to tell him.

Gray was noticeably uncomfortable. He couldn't handle crying women and he was almost as clueless about love as Natsu was, so he didn't know how to talk about Lisanna's relationship with Natsu. He wasn't even sure if they were actually together. Being alone with her just seemed to make the situation all the more awkward. Lisanna wiped the tears from her eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I think you're right, I'm just tired." She walked over to Gray and gave him a hug. "Thank you Gray. I really appreciate everything you and Juvia are doing for Natsu." She pulled one of the beds closer to Natsu's, she still wanted to be near him. She laid down facing Natsu and drifted off to sleep.

On the outskirts of Magnolia, Largo was skulking through an alleyway, he seemed weak and had trouble walking in a straight line. Losing his footing he fell into a wall, he steadied himself and tried to control his breathing. He had left it too long this time, he hadn't expected Natsu to be so powerful. He would have to tread carefully and make sure he infiltrated the Fairy Tail guild without being detected. The dragon brat should be dead which would leave his girlfriend vulnerable. He had been watching Natsu for over a month while he was researching him. Lisanna was always watching him whenever he entered the guild hall and was always excited to see him. Either Natsu was oblivious to her feelings or he enjoyed just leading her on, either way the girl was besotted with him and with him out off the picture she would be easy pickings.

Little did he know that he had already been spotted by Warren, who was using his Telepathy Magic to inform the guild of Largo's location and current condition. Makarov was listening carefully to Warren's report, "Very good Warren. Everyone return to the guild. Everything is now in place. We'll soon show Largo why you should never mess with the Fairy Tail guild." Nearly everyone from the guild had assembled in the guild hall, Makarov was standing up on the stage he was clearly enraged by the events that had taken place, a feeling shared by the entire guild. "You all know your roles. You all know what this Largo has done. It truly warms my heart to see you all united here, eager to defend one of our guilds most powerful mages who was defeated by dirty tactics. By a man who knows nothing about what it means to love another. We are Fairy Tail. We are family and we will not stand idly by while one of are own needs us the most. Now head out to your positions and show this Largo Zein that when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

The crowd of mages had lifted their hands in the air, a single finger and thumb raised out of respect for their fallen comrade, before running out off the guild hall and into their positions close by. Waiting for Largo to show up.

Back at the infirmary Wendy and Carla had arrived. The dark magic had been lifted and the poison was finally reacting to Wendy's Sky Magic, "It's working!" she cried cheerily, "Hold on Mr. Natsu. I will save you.". Lisanna was now up and standing close to Wendy, she could see colour returning to Natsu's face. Erza, Lucy and Mirajane had joined them and together with Gray and Juvia were standing around Natsu, barely able to contain their joy at seeing Natsu responding to Wendy's healing. "It's done. He may still be out for some time, but the poison's gone!" Wendy explained, breathing heavily. Concerned, Carla approached Wendy, "You pushed yourself too far. But you did very well Wendy." Before Wendy could reply, Lisanna wrapped her arms around the small bluenette praising her for saving her Natsu.

Erza placed her hand on Natsu's head. His fever was gone and his temperature was returning to normal. _I really need to stop underestimating you, Natsu._ She thought to herself quietly. Knowing that he was going to safe and aware of Makarov's plan everyone headed to their positions, leaving Lisanna and Happy to watch over Natsu.

Erza took the lead. Natsu had given everything he had to save her from her terrible past and Jellal at the Tower of Heaven. It was time to return to favour.

Natsu had stopped Gray from, pointlessly, sacrificing himself against Lyon and Delioria on Galuna Island. Gray was going to make sure he's selfless act was worth it.

It was thanks to Natsu that Lucy was even a member of Fairy Tail at all. From the very first time she got into trouble in Hargeon, and every time since then, it was always Natsu he came to her rescue. Now it was her turn to save him. She wasn't going to let him down.

Mirajane had watched Natsu grow from a young boy into the caring, headstrong man he had become. She often teased him when they were young but never underestimated how important he was to her sister, Lisanna. Lisanna's happiness was all that matter to Mira and by hurting Natsu in such a way was the same as hurting Lisanna. Largo was going to regret both.

The sun was beginning to rise over Magnolia, heading the road towards Fairy Tail was Largo. He was wearing his basic armour yet something was different. Cracks were beginning to appear on his skin. Desperate and full of rage, Largo had abandoned the idea of stealth. He needed to restore himself soon. It didn't matter who it was now. If any Fairy Tail scum got in his way, their life was his.


	8. Chapter 8

The site standing before Largo both delighted and enraged him. Her brown eyes were fixed on him, the wind blowing through her scarlet hair. "Erza Scarlet." He sneered, "I'm surprised you have the nerve to face me after what happened last time." Erza gritter her teeth, "I'm not the same person you fought before Largo. Last time I only worked alone, I wasn't one with my guild or my friends. This time will be different."

Largo cackled, mockingly at Erza, "Little Titania made some friends and now she can over come anything? Pathetic! Remember I still know your little secret about Jellal and the R-System". Erza smirked, "It was the Tower of Heaven and everyone at Fairy Tail knows about it. It's behind me now."

Largo's eyes widened, "What?!". _How is that possible. The tower was a great source of shame for Erza. There's no way she'd tell anyone about it!_ Erza's body was enveloped in a bright light, "You're informations out of date Largo.". The light died down revealing Erza's Purgatory Armour.

"Since when were you strong enough to use _that_ armour!?"  
"Like I said. You're informations out of date!".

Erza launched herself at Largo. He attempted to re-quip but was too late, Erza's spiked mace knocked Largo back several feet. _An attack that simple shouldn't have affected Largo that much!_

Largo steadied himself, "Damn you Erza!". Suddenly he felt a chill run down his spine, an impending sense of dread over came him, "So you're the one who hurt Natsu and made Lisanna cry, huh?" a delicate yet sinister voice came from behind.

Largo turned to see who was behind him. An elegant looking, tall white haired woman was approaching him, her body emitting an evil purple aura. A form quickly changed though. Her elegant dress was replaced with a rather skimpy one piece suit that left little to the imagination. Her hair now jutted upwards and her eyes became darker. She had also grown a tail which was currently smashing the road behind her. This was Mirajane's Satan Soul. Before Largo could react she disappeared before his very eyes.

She was directly behind Largo with her hands pressed against his back as a sphere of darkness magic began to form at her hands. "Evil Explosion", Mira's voice was cold and menacing, it sent an icy chill through Largo's body. Mira's attack exploded, completely enveloping Largo's body sending him skywards. As he fell, Mira reached out her hand and caught him by the head. She quickly spun around and smashed him into the ground. She slammed her foot down on his head and pressed down hard. Largo cried out in pain, "I helped treat Natsu's injuries. I know what kind of pain you inflicted on him. I will pay you back ten fold, a hundred fold, a thousand fold for what you've done."

"Onee-chan!". A cry came from above. Mira glanced up to see Lisanna being carried by Happy, "Get out off the way onee-chan!". Mira smiled and leapt out off the way, making sure to put her whole weight into the foot that was crushing Largo's head. "Now, Happy!", Happy dived bombed towards Largo at full speed. _Perfect!_ Largo thought to himself, _the dragon brats girlfriend is coming to me. Easy prey!_ "You're going to pay for hurting Natsu!", Happy cried out as mustered as much strength has could before throwing Lisanna at Largo. _What the hell is she doing?!_

"Take Over, Animal Soul!", she yelled out as she plummeted towards the man who almost killed Natsu, the man she truly loved. Largo watched in shock as the beauties body transformed into a giant purple rabbit. She landed on top of him with full force. The ground caved in and Largo's muffled screams could be heard under Lisanna's giant rabbit feet. She leapt off him, making sure to use her full weight and quickly returned to her normal body.

Largo staggered to his feet. "I refuse to be treated like this by you guild mage scum!". He stumbled backwards and hit somebody standing behind him. He turned and saw a pair a red eyes glaring down at him, the metal studs on his face made him all the more intimidating, "So, you're the cowardly bastard who had use cheap tricks to take down the salamander huh?". Gajeel raised a bar of iron to his and took a big bite out off it, "Tactics like that really piss me off". _Is he eating iron?_

A small bluenette girl was standing next to him she seemed to be sucking in air like it was spaghetti. "Mr. Natsu wouldn't have been beaten so easily in a straight fight. I'll do my best for him." _One eats iron the other eats air? What kind of mages our these two?_

A smirk spread across Gajeel's face, "Gi hi! Ya ready, squirt?", Wendy nodded and the pair both took in deep breaths.

"Iron Dragon...!"  
 _No! Don't tell me they're also...  
_ "Sky Dragon...!"  
 _Dragon Slayers!?  
_ "ROAR!",

Both Gajeel and Wendy combined they're attacks to deliver a devasting roar on Largo. The combined attacks of the guild members was proving to be too much. But he had no other choice. It was the dragon brats fault after all. He drove him to such desperate measures. However the guild weren't finished with Largo yet.

"Oi! Save some for us! Ice Make: Ice Cannon!", Gray and Juvia stepped up. "Juvia wants to avenge Natsu too! Water Slicer!". Lucy wasted no time, while Largo was still suffering the effects of the combined attacks, the Celestial Spirit Mage called upon one her most powerful spirits, Loke better known as Leo the Lion.

"Open Gate of the Lion! Leo!". Loke immediately went on the offensive, being fully aware of what Largo had done. "Regulus Impact!". A brilliant light formed in Loke's hand as aimed his fist at Largo. The light took on the form of a lions head as it hit it's target.

Team Shadow Gear were up next. Jet and Droy quickly leapt into action, "Knuckle Plant!" Droy yelled. He threw some seeds to the ground which quickly sprouted vines with large fists. They pummelled Largo into the ground. Before he could compose himself Jet quickly moved in, "Falcon Heavenward!", using his High Speed Magic, Jet rushed at Largo and delivered a kick so powerful it sent Largo skyward. As Largo fell, Levy leapt into the air, "Solid Script Stone!", she formed the word stone in mid air and threw it at Largo. It caught him before he even hit the ground and crushed him up one the guilds walls.

Largo staggered to his feet but quickly feel to his knees. He was getting weaker by the second. Makarov stood before him, the entire Fairy Tail guild standing behind Makarov all glaring at the Dark Re-quip mage. _Here's my chance!_

"Dark Re-quip: Oblivion Armour!"

Makarov stood his ground as Largo quickly re-quipped his armour. Pointing his staff directly at the guilds Master. "Your life? Or your guilds?!" Largo sneered. Makarov eyes glowed a menacing yellow, "You're in no position to make such demands, Largo Zein!" he growled. Before Largo could utter another word, cracks started forming around the skulls on his staff. He watched in horror as the cracks continued to spread before the skulls shattered completely.

Largo once again fell to his knees as the rest of his Oblivion Armour began to crack and fall apart. Only his basic armour remained, he didn't have the strength to fight. _This guild is full of monsters!_ He thought to himself.

"I thought Erza said his armour drained his life force. How come he looks so normal?" Jet asked. "He doesn't, it's an illusion. Keep watching." Makarov replied, there was a sadness in his voice. Largo's armour slowly began to fade away in a shower of bright sparkles. What remained was truly a horrific sight. His messy green hair was now just a few long, grey strands. His skin was dark and flaky all over. He looked like a skeleton within just a thin layer of skin covering him. "You did this to me Fairy Tail!", Largo claimed, his voice now dry and weak. "Wrong. You've been killing yourself ever since you acquired that armour. Dark magic always comes at a price, no matter how skilled a mage you may be. There's no avoiding the inevitable."

Largo looked at his hands as they began crumbling into dust. "Don't you dare lecture me! I've survived for two hundred years. The Oblivion Armour made me immortal!". Makarov lowered his head, "Helpless fool! It takes a strong mind to endure the passing centuries that armour allows you. As your mind weakened, the dark magic's effects on your body became more rapid. You're nothing more than power hungry madman. In the end your own foolish ambition is what destroyed you."

Largo's remains quickly crumbled as a gust wind swept by, blowing his dust away. Almost as if nature itself was rejecting him. Mira looked around for Lisanna but she was nowhere to be seen. Lisanna had run off back to the infirmary, running as fast her legs would allow. She burst into the room and was greeted by a pair of bright black eyes and a big grin, "Morning, Lisanna!" Natsu beamed at her.

Tears began running down her face and beaming the biggest smile she ran over to Natsu. Wrapping her arms tightly around him she pressed her lips firmly against his. Natsu reached his arms around Lisanna and pulled her in closer, taking her by surprise he returned the kiss. Lisanna ran her fingers through his hair. Her heart was beating so fast now. She didn't want this moment to end. Blushing brightly the pair rested their heads against each others. Both over joyed to be together again. Suddenly the door burst open and the room was soon filled to burst with the other guild members.

"NATSU!". The room seemed to shake as everyone cheered with joy. Lisanna, Lucy, Wendy and Happy all held onto to Natsu tightly. As the rest of the crowd cheered and bombarded Natsu with tales of how the guild all defeated Largo.

That night the guild hall was shaking with celebration. The drink was flowing heavily and everyone was finally back in good spirits. Natsu, still wrapped in bandages, was surrounded by his team, with Lisanna staying close to his side the whole time. Natsu was annoyed that he didn't get the chance at a rematch with Largo but was equally impressed at how the whole guild had come together.

Makarov was sitting at the bar, he was watching Natsu intently. Something was still bothering him about Natsu's smile, even more so than before. It just felt... forced. Even Lisanna's demeanour seemed staged, she was laughing and joking just like everyone else. But every now and then, just for a moment, a look of worry came on her face when she looked at Natsu. Did she know something?

Now wasn't the time to raise his concerns. The guild needed to blow off steam after everything that happened.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning the guild hall looked like a mini war had broken out. Tables and chairs were smashed, drunken bodies littered the floor. The hall was filled with the sounds of snoring and hungover groaning. Makarov was sitting at the bar talking with Erza.

"So you don't know why he resorted to such extremes?"  
"I'm not sure Master. He never showed such persistence or desperation when I fought him before. He never once lost his cool either. He was very insular in his behaviour. He only studied his intended victim and neglected to study their allies. If his victim ever escaped he never seemed interested in pursuing them further."  
"Well, in any case, I've asked Levy to research his claim of living for two hundred years. We may be able to get a clearer picture of his motivations when she..."

"Master! Erza!". Levy interrupted as she approached, "I've finished my research on Largo like you asked.". She was carrying several documents and quickly laid them out on the bar. "That was fast work Levy. Very impressive." Makarov praised the small bluenette. "That's our Levy!" Jet and Droy cried out. Levy tied her hair back and began going through what she had discovered. "Well I'm confident that Largo wasn't bluffing when he claimed to have lived for two hundred years. Using his MO of sending out fake job requests I was able to narrow down a list of mage disappearances over the last two centuries. For the first century there appears to be only one disappearance every ten years. But the numbers to start to increase rapidly in Largo's second century. In fact in the last six months, at least one hundred mages have gone missing."

Erza was shocked by the number, "One hundred? Are you sure their all linked to Largo?". Levy nodded, she had a stern look on her face, "I am. They all took on job requests that specified the removal of Wyvern from distant towns. Each time it was sent out as a solo request. It seems your hunch was right, Master."

Makarov nodded. "That would explain why Largo broke his routine and attacked the guild. The longer he used Oblivion, the greater it's draw on his life became. It takes a strong mind to endure the passage of centuries and Largo's mind began to weaken as the Oblivion's draw became greater. Losing to Natsu was the last straw. In the end his desperate actions only fuelled Oblivion further."

Erza glanced over at Natsu, he was on the far side of the hall fast asleep with Lisanna in his arms. "I wonder what Largo did to Natsu to make him go on such a rampage." Levy turned in her stool, also looking over at Natsu, "Maybe he threatened the guild? You know how he gets when anyone mocks or threatens Fairy Tail." Erza smiled, "Well that's certainly true..." She trailed off as she remembered that it wasn't always the case with Natsu. There was a time he hated the guild and either kept himself distant from everyone or was fighting everyone.

 _So he abandoned you! That explains a great deal more. A father abandoning his worthless, delinquent son. So as not to be shamed by such a pitiful weakling!_

 _Dragons died out four hundred years ago and from what I've observed you treat your nakama like rivals, rather than friends._

 _You really should give up. Your father's abandoned you. Your guild has forsaken you, even your little cat friend ran in fear and left you alone to die. No ones coming for you Dragon Slayer and once I'm done with you I'm going to kill the only person you ever loved._ A _pretty girl. Shame you've neglected her feelings for so long. Maybe I'll give her what she wants, have some fun with her... Before I kill her!_

Natsu woke suddenly. He could still hear Largo's words in the back of his mind. He glanced down and saw that Lisanna was safe in his arms. He let out a sigh of relief, just a dream. He pulled Lisanna in closer and held her tightly. She stirred slightly, " _Natsu_..." she sleepily whispered.

Still dreaming, she was leading Natsu up towards the straw hut they had built together. Stopping at the entrance Lisanna gazed into Natsu's eyes, she couldn't hold back anymore. Everything about this man drove her wild and she knew she'd have to take the lead to show him how she truly felt. Suddenly Natsu pulled her close to him and pressed his lips firmly against hers, his passionate kiss made her feel weak at the knees. He ran his hands down are back and gripped onto her, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around him. He carried her into the hut as he gently nibbled her neck...

Lisanna's cheeks began to blush, "Natsu", she giggled before waking up with a start. She glanced up and saw him watching her. Lisanna buried her face in her hands, the pink haired boy was confused "What were you dreaming about?" he asked. She gazed at him through her fingers, her cheeks now a darker shade of red, "Oh just... _you_." She giggled playfully to herself.

Later that day Natsu and Lisanna were walking through East Forest. The sun was lighting up the forest and a gentle breeze flowed through the trees. Happy was hovering behind them, completely absorbed by the fact that the pair were holding hands. "Hey I remember this place. This is where that Forest Vulcan attacked us and you defended me and Happy's egg from it." Lisanna was feeling nostalgic, her dream about Natsu had also brought back some wonderful memories for her. The way Natsu fought off the Forest Vulcan told her that he would always be there for her and always protect her.

Natsu blushed slightly, looking off to the side "Well I wasn't gonna let that monkey looking jerk hurt you." He said rubbing the back off his head. Lisanna beamed at him, "You are just the cutest." she laughed.

"Monkey looking jerk? That's just mean!". A large green, ape looking creature emerged from the trees. "Pretty lady. I remember you!". The Forest Vulcan sneered with lustful eyes. "Not this time! Fire Dragon Fist!", Natsu roared as he struck the Vulcan under the chin, sending it flying off into the distance. Lisanna let out a joyful cheer as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Now that takes me back, only I remember that it was me that gave the Vulcan a beating last time." A tall brown haired man with a light stubbly beard had been watching the group. "Gildarts!" Lisanna and Natsu cried out. Gildarts approached them and placed his hands on their heads, "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you two together again". Gildarts smiled at them, he was always very fond of Natsu and Lisanna and was very protective over them. "So what are you doing out here? You on a date or something?" He laughed heartily as he teased the pair. Natsu looked over to the side and pouted, "What of it?" he mumbled. Lisanna laughed at his awkwardness.

Gildarts paused for a moment, watching Natsu's reaction before letting out another heartfelt laugh. "Actually I'm glad I ran into you both. It's been some time since we were all together, how about it? Shall we go fishing and catch up?" Gildarts didn't want to interrupt their date but he had been away for some time and he always saw Natsu as a surrogate son. Happy leapt up as his favourite topic had been raised, "I really want to go fishing! But leave them raw, they taste better raw." The group all went back to Gildarts house to gather supplies before heading to their usual fishing spot.

Back at the guild Makarov was looking for Natsu. He really needed to talk to him. "I believe he's on a date with Lisanna, Master." Mira beamed, "Those two are so cute together." Makarov was stunned. "Natsu? On a date? Since when has that boy been interested in anything other than fighting and eating?".

Back in the forest, Natsu sneezed. "You OK there, Natsu?" Gildarts asked. Natsu nodded, "Don't worry about me. You should worry about yourself. You're going down this time.!" Gildarts smiled, he always enjoyed Natsu's fighting spirit and was always happy to take the kid on. "Alright then. Show me what you've got!."

Lisanna was preparing a stew while Gildarts and Natsu were squaring off. She already knew how this was going end. But his determination was one of the many things she admired about Natsu.

"Alright! I'm all fired up now! Fire Dragon Fist!". Natsu leapt towards Gildarts. He swung his fist out, "Got you this time, Gildarts!". Suddenly Natsu was thrust into the ground, Gildarts had taken him down in a single blow. "Good effort. But you know attacking an opponent head on isn't a very useful tactic, right?". Natsu looked up at Gildarts with a big grin on his face. "OK you two. Dinner's ready!" Lisanna called out.

Natsu leapt to his feet, it was like Gildarts' attack had no effect on him, "Alright! I'm starving!". The group all sat around a camp fire as the sun began to set. Lisanna had saved one fish and kept it raw for Happy, who was munching away happily. "Wow, that was great Lisanna!" Natsu said, patting his stomach. She blushed slightly, getting any kind of praise from him made her heart flutter.

"He's right. That was amazing Lisanna. When did you get so good cooking?". Gildarts asked, the last time he saw her she was still only a child. "The Edolas version of Mira taught me." She replied, thinking back to her time in the other world. Gildarts looked at Natsu and his face turned serious, "Listen Natsu. I heard about what happened with this Largo character. Are you sure you're OK? It's just that the Master wants to talk to you about certain issues. Have you seriously not told anyone apart from Lisanna and me?".

Natsu looked away. He really didn't want to talk about it and there was no need for the others to know. Gildarts continued, "Look I'm not going to preach to you about the importance of family and how the guild is your family. That's the old man's job. But everyone here has their problems to deal with, hell you've helped most of them over come their personal demons. So why won't you let them help you with yours?".

There was a long pause. Lisanna shared Gildarts' concern but was reluctant to force the issue, especially with _that_ date coming up. Natsu stared at the ground, "How can they help me, when none of them believe me?".


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: From this chapter onwards there's likely to be some out off character moments as I want to explore Natsu's upbringing and his early life in Fairy Tail. This chapter is quite short as I left writing a bit late today. Sorry :)**

" _Get a grip flame-brain. There's no such thing as dragons!"_

" _There is too! I was raised by one. You droopy eyed jerk!"_

 _Two small boys were getting into another fight. This was a typical occurrence ever since the pink haired boy joined the guild. He had been at odds with most of the most of the members ever since he claimed to have been raised by a dragon, whom he called Igneel._

" _Oi, Natsu. You gotta grow up sometime kid. Dragon's don't exist." A scantly dressed Mirajane interceded in the fight. Natsu was getting fed up with the constant teasing, he couldn't understand why nobody believed he was raised by a dragon. "You wanna piece of me too, Mira!". A grim smile spread across her lips, "Bring it on!" her blue eyes were menacing. But not enough to deter Natsu._

" _Sheesh, when will you give up this dragon nonsense?", Gray asked abruptly. Suddenly Natsu felt the urge to fight diminish. "It's not nonsense... Igneel is real...". Mira looked at him and seeing his vulnerability couldn't help but tease him further, "You're kinda cute when you cry, Natsu." She mocked._

" _I'm not crying!", the small boy yelled as he ran out off the guild hall. A small white haired girl in a pink dress approached her big sister, "That wasn't very nice, Mira!" Lisanna scolded. "The boy's gotta grow up sometime, he can't cling on to the fantasy of dragons forever."_

" _Have you been teasing Natsu again, Mira?"  
"Erza! So you're back, come at me!"  
"I'm just waiting for you to finish getting dressed. Or do you usually skank out in that outfit?"  
_" _Boney bitch!"  
_ " _Hag!"_

 _Erza and Mira pressed their heads against each other as they squared off... again. In the distance Natsu could hear the commotion coming from the guild. He ignored it and continued running, not noticing the sound of tiny footsteps following him._

Natsu woke up suddenly. He hadn't thought about those days for awhile, he still felt guilty about he's feelings towards the other members but also angry about how much they teased him over his upbringing. Of course things had changed, they'd all been through so much together but he still couldn't bring himself to tell them how much he missed Igneel. How much he hated the guild when he was a child and how sometimes, those old feelings kept coming back.

Natsu would often distract himself. Invading Lucy's place was a favourite, but for some reason she always got really mad about it. Solo job requests also helped. In fact before Lucy joined he always worked alone, apart from Happy who was always with him. But now he was part of a team and in some ways it helped him to remain focused, until Gray and Erza joined the team.

He hadn't stayed in his own house for so long. He normally crashed at Lucy's but now Lisanna was back he was spending more of his time with her and sleeping in the hut they had made. There was a strict "no boys" policy at Fairy Hills so there was no way he was going to be staying in her room. His house was located outside of Magnolia in the forest, it was quiet and secluded. It reminded him of home. Natsu quickly got himself ready, Makarov was making his announcement today and Natsu had to put on a brave face. He knew that he was going to be selected this year, but it was being held earlier than normal which clashed with a date that was so important to Natsu. Had Gramps forgotten?

With Makarov's announcement made and the candidates for the S-Class Trials revealed the guild hall was buzzing with excitement. This year there was going to be eight participants but only one would claim the rank of S-Class. Natsu put on a show of bravado, he didn't want anyone to know what he was planning to do. Becoming an S-Class had been his goal for awhile but he just couldn't go through with it.

Mira seemed to sense something was off with Natsu and took him to one side. "Natsu, is something wrong? You don't seem yourself. I thought you would have been more excited." _How did she always know?._ She looked seriously concerned, ever since Natsu entered the guild hall that morning she knew something was off about him. A big smile spread across his face, "I just really need to talk to Gramps about something, that's all."

Mira didn't buy it but she knew the Master wanted to talk to Natsu too. "He's just upstairs in his office. I think he's been wanting to see you for awhile now." Natsu took off to see Makarov, "Thanks, Mira!". She watched him as he left. _He hasn't been the same since Largo_ she thought to herself.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE WITHDRAWING FROM THE TRIALS!". Makarov was shocked to hear what Natsu was telling him. "I just have something I have to take care off, Gramps. It's too important." Makarov eyed the boy, suspiciously. "Care to tell me what it is?" He inquired. Natsu looked down at the floor, "I don't want to talk about it...". Makarov was stunned, he hadn't seen this behaviour in Natsu for years.

There was only one thing he could do. Makarov liked to use this trick on Natsu as the bot was hot headed and easy to manipulate. "I see what it is. You're worried about facing Erza since she's one of the judges this year. That's understandable, after all it's not like you're in the same league as Gray." _That's bound to get Natsu's fire going._ Makarov thought mischievously.

Natsu gritted his teeth, baring his fangs at the Master, "THAT ISN'T GOING TO WORK ON ME!". He roared, there was a burning intensity in his eyes. For the first time Makarov could see it. The reason why so many feared "The Salamander" from Fairy Tail. Why tales of Natsu were becoming almost as legendary as those of Titania Scarlet. He could see Natsu's inner rage and for a moment it had Makarov on edge. "I don't expect you or anyone else to understand! I'm not taking part in the trials!". Natsu turned and stormed out.

Lisanna happened to be waiting outside and had heard everything. She glared at the Master furiously, "How could you be so heartless?!" She yelled before running after Natsu. Makarov sat at his desk completely bewildered. _What the hell just happened?_

Lisanna knew exactly why Natsu was behaving this way. She hated this time of year as she could never help Natsu as much as she wanted too. Next week would be July 7th, the day Igneel disappeared. Natsu always went home at this time in the off chance that Igneel would return. _How could he do that to Natsu? It breaks my heart to see him like this._

She raised her to her face to wipe away the tears. In doing so she didn't see that someone was in front of her and she collided with them head on. She fell back and landed on her rear, looking up she saw it was Gildarts, "Hey, Lisanna what's the matter? I saw Natsu not long ago, looked like he was about to give someone a really bad day."

Lisanna stood up, her big blue eyes were welling up. She ran into and hugged Gildarts as the tears came flooding out again. After calming down she went on to tell Gildarts everything she knew about Natsu and what had happened with Makarov. He wasn't at all happy with what had occurred. He placed a reassuring hand on her head, "Go find Natsu. No one can calm him down better than you. I'm going to go have a word with the old man."


	11. Chapter 11

Gildarts entered the guild hall and was immediately approached by Erza. She had seen Natsu as he left but when she tried to talk to him she got only a burning glare in response. Needless to say the guild was a buzz of speculation as what could be Natsu's problem. As if anticipating her question, "If it's about Natsu, I'm sure everything is fine. You know how he can be, he just needs to blow off some steam."

The fact that Gildarts even knew what she was going to ask was suspicious, "How did you know I was going to even ask you about Natsu?". Gildarts let out a nervous laughter, "Oh just a guess. I saw him earlier and assumed he'd gotten into a fight with Gray again. Is the Master in? I really need to speak with him." Gildarts waved anxiously as he made his way past Erza and headed to Makarov's office.

Erza wasn't buying it. Something was wrong, Gildarts knew something and he wasn't telling her. But she was going to find out.

Gildarts entered Makarov's office. "Oh, Gildarts. Are you ready for the...". Makarov noticed the serve expression on his face, something had really ticked Gildarts off. Through gritted teeth, "Are you really that oblivious to Natsu's problems, Gramps?!". Makarov seemed offended by the insinuation, "You off all people should know that care about everyone's feelings in this guild, Gildarts!".

Trying his best to keep his temper in check, he was talking to the Master after all. "It doesn't look that way to me! I heard from Lisanna you tried to manipulate Natsu into participating in the S-Class trials and that you've set the trials earlier than usual. You do know what next week is don't you?".

Makarov thought for a moment before Gildarts filled in the blanks for him. "It's July 7th. The day Natsu's father, Igneel, left him all alone to fend for himself. From his perspective he was abandoned. I also heard from Lisanna that this Largo character really messed with the boys head concerning Igneel. How could you not be aware of this? I'm sure Natsu told you all this when he first came to the guild."

Makarov remembered. "Of course he did. He mentioned he was looking for a dragon called Igneel. I assumed overtime he eventually accepted he was never likely to find him."

Gildarts snapped. "Are you really _that_ dense?! I've watched that boy standing outside, in the pouring rain all night long looking for this Igneel. Watched an angry child picking fights with the other kids in the guild just so he isn't thinking about being abandoned by his father! To this day he still challenges Erza, Laxus and myself to duels. Three mages he can't possibly beat at this stage, do you seriously not understand why?!"

Gildarts words tore through Makarov's heart like a dagger. All this time he had been observing Natsu's behaviour but never understanding them. The boy was in pain, he had woken up one day and everything he knew was gone. Suddenly he found himself in a guild with complete strangers, constantly being teased and mocked about his beliefs in dragons. He felt a great sadness over come him as he realised that he had failed Natsu by not truly listening to the boy.

Gildarts suddenly looked uneasy as Makarov gave him a hard stare, "This is the third time today one of my brats has scolded me.", he let out a sigh, "I've been a neglectful old fool. I need to Natsu and make is right.". Gildarts sighed in relief, "Well Lisanna knows where he might be. We find her, we find Natsu." Makarov looked confused.

"Why Lisanna?"  
"Really Gramps?"

The pair entered the guild hall. Makarov approached Mira to asked if she had seen Lisanna anywhere. Gildarts approached Erza and the rest of Team Natsu to ask the same. The pair thought they were being tactful but Erza had already caught on. "Why do you need to see Lisanna? Is it important?" she asked sharply, "Oh not at all. The old man and I just need to see her that's all".

Erza angrily slammed her fist down on a table, smashing it instantly. "Don't lie to me Gildarts! I know something's wrong with Natsu. Now tell me what's going on!". Gray, Lucy, Juvia and Wendy were all in stunned silence. _Is she really shouting at Gildarts?_

Gildarts gave in a informed them all of what was happening and why Natsu had been behaving the way he was for so long. Soon the guild hall was filled with a feeling of guilt and concern. Makarov asked everyone to remain at the guild in case Natsu returned and that Gildarts and himself were going to talk to Lisanna.

Outside the straw hut Lisanna was calling out for Natsu but with no luck. "No luck huh?" Gildarts asked as he approached with Makarov not far behind. Lisanna struggled to make eye contact with Makarov. She was angry at what he had but was also mad at herself for shouting at the Master. He approached and took her hand, "I'm sorry Lisanna. I've been a stubborn old fool. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me and help us find Natsu? I've failed to boy up till now, I need to make amends." Lisanna dropped to her knees and gave Makarov a tight hug, "All families fight. It's important to forgive, right Master?". Makarov smiled brightly as tears began to flow from his eyes, "You always were a sweet girl, my dear."

Some distance away Natsu stood with Happy in a clearing deep in the forest. His fists were flaming and Happy was both nervous and concerned. He had never seen Natsu get this worked up about Igneel before. "Natsu? We come here every year and never find him..." He was interrupted when Natsu suddenly ran towards a large boulder, "FIRE DRAGON FIST!" he roared as his attack reduced the boulder to dust. The flames around his hands died out as he feel to his knees. Once again he felt completely alone, Igneel was gone. The guild wouldn't care, they didn't even believe him. Only Gildarts and Lisanna ever took him seriously.

In an attempt to calm down Natsu sat down in the middle of the clearing where he was raised. The are was littered with potholes that he had made while learning to use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. He tried to calm his mind by thinking about the good times he had spent with Igneel and the Fairy Tail guild. But Largo's words kept forcing themselves to the front of his mind. Was Largo right? Had Igneel simply given up on Natsu? Had Natsu distanced himself too much from the guild?

Even after everything he had been through with Erza and the others, he still didn't feel like he truly belonged at Fairy Tail and was seriously considering leaving. He needed to continue his search for Igneel and get some answers. He closed his eyes and once again tried to calm himself down.

He opened his eyes again with a start, the sun was already going down. He'd fallen asleep without realising. He got up and stretched his arms above his head. Happy sat up, rubbing his eyes, "We really should start heading back. It's almost dark, Natsu.". The young Dragon Slayer took one more look around his old home. Suddenly a familiar scent wafted on the wind passed him, "Natsu!". It was Lisanna, with Gildarts and Makarov close behind.

Further back the entire guild had secretly followed the trio. Trying desperately not to be noticed they remained hidden behind the trees and bushes. Gajeel was visibly annoyed, he hated this sneaking around crap. The guild members all placed themselves around the edge of the clearing, surrounding Natsu, Happy, Lisanna, Gildarts and Makarov.

Overwhelmed at seeing Natsu, Lisanna had completely forgotten for a moment that she was with Gildarts and Makarov. She ran towards Natsu, flung her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. Returning her affections the pair enjoyed their embrace. Gildarts beamed happily, he always knew these two would get together. Makarov looked shocked, "When did this happen?" he cried out.

Behind a bush, Erza, Bisca and Alzack were watching the tender moment, their faces all as red as Erza's hair. Bisca and Alzack gave each each other a quick glance before looking away, embarrassed.

Makarov coughed loudly to get the pairs attention. They had both forgotten he was even there. Lisanna took hold of Natsu's hand and they both turned to face Makarov. "Well, this is a surprising development and a happy one too. Moments like this are always a joyous moment for the guild when two of it's members find a love that goes beyond friendship." The couple blushed at the Master's words but couldn't deny he was right.

"Natsu. I've been a stubborn old fool. You've been carrying a heavy burden in your heart ever since you came to the guild. A burden that I overlooked and have neglected for al these years. I was oblivious to your relationship with Lisanna too. I have failed you, Natsu. But I want to make things right. They say that a burden shared is a burden halved, imagine how much lighter your burden would be if you shared it with your nakama, your family. Isn't that right my children?!"

Makarov knew the guild were following and called them out. Sheepishly they all emerged, they didn't want Natsu to feel like they were intruding. Tears began to form in his eyes as saw everyone appear from the surrounding forest. "You see Natsu. Everyone in the guild is here for you. You shouldn't ever feel like your alone or that you have to face your demons alone. Fairy Tail will always be here for you." Makarov walked up to Natsu and took his hand, "And so will I." Makarov beamed at him both they both broke down in tears.

Erza approached Natsu and rested her hand on his head, "The Master's right. You've helped all of us battle our demons." A loud thud echoed through the clearing as she pulled him into her armoured chest, "Now let us help you with yours.". She smiled gently as she held him against her, "Hard..." Natsu squeaked. Lisanna was trying to get Erza to loosen her grip.

Eventually Lisanna pulled Natsu free and pulled his head into her chest as she nursed the bump on his head. Elfman saw where Natsu's face was planted and went to go have words, it was a man's duty to look out for his baby sister after all. He began his approach but was immediately tripped, he face planted the floor. Mirajane smiled at Lisanna and Natsu and acted like nothing had happened when Elfman accused her of tripping him.

That evening was spent with Natsu telling the guild about his life with Igneel, pointing out which of the many craters were his and which were Igneel's. This both interested and confused everyone, how could Natsu remember which crater belonged to who when he could barely remember what he did ten minutes ago. The guild also took the opportunity to learn more about the other two Dragon Slayers in there ranks. Wendy was more than happy to share her story but Gajeel flat refused.

"Tch! Like I care!", he turned has back so no one could see him holding back the tears. Unfortunately for him, Levy was standing right behind him holding Lily in her arms. She blushed as she couldn't help but noticed how cute Gajeel was when he tried to hide his true feelings. Lily stared at Gajeel intently,

"Gajeel, what's wrong with your face?"

"SHUT UP!"

Makarov was right. Natsu he could almost feel his heart become lighter as he shared his story with everyone. Looking at the young Dragon Slayer, Makarov felt over joyed to see Natsu smiling brightly once more.


	12. Chapter 12

Back at the guild hall, Natsu was once again excited for the S-Class trials and was showing his excitement the only way he knew how, by fighting. As a wave of chaos made it's way around the hall, Gildarts and Makarov were drinking at the bar. "I had hoped that after everything Natsu would actually calm down!", Makarov sighed. Gildarts laughed, "Is that a joke Gramps? Now that the boys head and heart are back in it, he's likely to get worse. Must be Igneel's influence I suppose.". Makarov's jaw hit the floor and his face turned white. He could almost see all the letters from the Magic Council.

The ruckus had died down. Gildarts looked up to see a pile of bodies in front of him and at the very top, beaming with barely controlled glee sat Natsu. He watched the pink haired hooligan carefully as Natsu spotted him. _Here it comes,_ Gildarts thought to himself.

"Gildarts! Fight me!". Natsu shouted as he lunged at him. Once again, with a single blow, Natsu was downed. "Hey! Save it for the trials. You'll get your chance to face me and when you do, I want you to come at me with everything you've got." Natsu glanced up at Gildarts, a big smile spread across his face, "You got it!". Natsu jumped to his feet. "I'm all fired up now!"

Lisanna was with Mira and Elfman, watching Natsu's rampage, "Whatever am I going to do with you, Natsu?". She said to herself quietly. Mira placed her hands on Lisanna's shoulders and gave them a playful squeeze. "He really does need another way to spend all that energy". Lisanna could feel her face burning, Lucy overheard Mira's playful jab and couldn't resist joining in. "Maybe that's something you could help him with, Lisanna" she teased.

Lisanna was getting a little tired of their teasing but she couldn't deny her feelings for Natsu any longer. So she was going to kill two birds with one stone. "You're right. Maybe I can help him with that." She smiled mischievously at the pair. Mira and Lucy were both shocked but before they could say anything, Lisanna had run up to Natsu and wrapped her arms around his arm.

"You know, Natsu. There are other ways to spend all that energy." She blushed and giggled playfully at him. Gildarts and Makarov both spat out their beer, completely stunned by Lisanna's straight forwardness. Natsu looked confused, "Really? Like how?". Lisanna purposefully pulled his arm into her chest, "Come with me and I'll show you." She bit her bottom lip slightly, Natsu looked shocked as the penny finally dropped. His shock quickly subsided though, he felt the same as Lisanna. They had both almost lost each other forever, so the time they had shouldn't be wasted.

The pair ran towards the guild doors. Gray was pointing at the pair, his face burning brightly, "Oi..." was all he could muster. Juvia saw his reaction and took it as an opportunity. "Perhaps Gray-sama would like to spend some energy with Juvia?", Gray panicked, "Where the hell did that come from?!". Without a hint of shame Cana chimed in, "Oi Gray. You need to sort your woman out." Gray felt like trapped, "Don't encourage her!".

Watching Natsu leave with his baby sister, Elfman knew what he had to do. He quickly rose to his feet only to feel a delicate yet manly hand force him back into his chair. He looked up at Mira, "But aren't we supposed to do something to prevent this? It's our job to protect her after all." Mira smiled at her brother, "That's true, but it's a responsibility we share with Natsu now. We need to let them be free to make their decisions." Elfman smiled, "He's a real man after all." He nodded, accepting Lisanna's relationship with Natsu.

Cana had overheard the whole exchange and, with all the subtlety of an entherion blast, blurted out, "Well he will be after tonight, eh Elfman?". Giving him a small nudge. Elfman looked mortified, "Cana... Why?", Mira covered her mouth trying to stifle her laughter. Lucy was burning bright red, "Was I just a pawn in Mira's crazy matchmaking game?".

Natsu was waiting outside Fairy Hills while Lisanna was inside grabbing some things. Once she returned, she grabbed Natsu's hand and lead him to the straw hut that meant so much to both of them. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her, "I'm sure. When you were poisoned I kept thinking about all the things I wanted to share with you and experience with you. So I promised myself that when you recovered I was going to show you how much you really mean to me, Natsu." Her big blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at Natsu. He pulled her closer to him and the couple shared a passionate kiss under the moonlight. Lisanna took Natsu's hand and lead him into the hut.

The sun began to rise the next morning. Natsu and Lisanna were holding each other closely under a blanket. Their clothes littered the floor of the hut. Lisanna woke first and gazed at the sleeping dragon next to her. _Wow! He really does have a lot of energy._ She thought to herself as her cheeks began to blush. Natsu stretched as he opened his eyes to the image of Lisanna staring back at him, he placed his hand on the side of her face, "Morning, Lisanna." He said cheerily. She leant into his hand, it was warm "Morning, Natsu".

She glanced over his muscular frame, "You do realise that we're probably going to get interrogated by the guild when we get back, right?". Natsu thought about this before shrugging it off, "Let them! We've got nothing to hide anymore. I don't care if they know how we feel about each other." He's big grin was beaming. Lisanna's heart skipped a beat, "Really?" she squealed, happily. He nodded before his face turned serious, "After you died I felt like I had lost a big part of me. It was just Happy and me for a long time before Lucy joined the guild."

Lisanna moved closer to Natsu and rested her head on his shoulder, "While I was gone did you ever find anyone else? It's okay if you did, it's not like I expected you to never move on. But I know how close you are to Lucy...". Sensing Lisanna's change in mood, Natsu wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. "Lucy is my friend and team mate. She's helped in me in so many ways but I don't think of her like that. She's more like an annoying sister who needs me to look out for her."

Back at the guild hall Lucy sneezed. "Oh dear, are you alright Lucy? You're not coming down with another cold are you?" Mira asked while still clearing up the aftermath from last nights festivities. "Oh I'm fine. Just a little run down I guess, so much happened last night. Are you really OK with Natsu and Lisanna running off together?". Mira smiled at the young blonde, "Of course. Those two are so cute together and they've both grown up so much over the years. The question is are you OK with it, Lucy? You and Natsu do seem very close after all."

Lucy gave a sincere smile, "I don't think of Natsu that way, he's my friend and team mate. He's more like an annoying brother that needs me to look out for him.". Mira was relived

"That's good to hear. I'd hate for there to be any awkwardness between you three."  
"You don't need to worry about that.".

Back at the hut Lisanna and Natsu were getting dressed. Lisanna was wrapping Natsu's treasured scarf around his neck. She looked into his black eyes, "Well I guess we should head back and face the music." She buried her face into his chest, "Last night was wonderful, Natsu." She smiled as she listened to his heart beating. Natsu started stroking her hair, "Yeah, it was. We've still got a few days before the trials, we should make the most of it while we can.". Lisanna nodded excitedly, "We absolutely must."

Lisanna and Natsu parted at the entrance to Fairy Hills. Lisanna took off her shoes and quietly opened the door. She checked the lobby, the coast was clear. She slipped through the door and quietly closed it behind her. Carefully she started making her way across the floor towards the stairs, trying to avoid making the floor boards creak too loudly. "Well! Someone's wearing the same clothes she wore last night.". _Busted!_ It was Mira, she had finished tiding up the guild hall and quickly made her way back, hoping to talk to Lisanna. The bright smile on her face made Lisanna feel at ease but she still felt awkward about facing her older sister after last night. Mira placed her hand on Lisanna's head, "No need to be embarrassed.". Lisanna looked away, pouting "Onee-chan...".

Later that day Natsu and Lisanna decided to brave going to the guild hall together. Holding onto each others hands they pushed open the doors and entered the guild hall, only to be met by a sea of gawking faces. There was an awkward silence before a drunken Cana yelled out, "Hey, Natsu! I hope your motion sickness didn't kick in last night!". The pair looked at each, both of them blushing and laughing off Cana's comment.

Suddenly the pair found themselves separated. The girls had latched onto Lisanna and dragged her to the far end of the hall, while the guys had latched onto Natsu and dragged him over too the bar. The interrogation had begun.

Natsu was placed on a stool, the guys were all leaning in, waiting for Natsu to break and spill the beans. It's not like he could keep a secret. The exception was Elfman who was sitting in a corner, mortified. Natsu seemed to be deep in thought, the guys all leaned in closer, like a group of teenagers, they wanted the details. A cheeky grin spread across his face, all the guys blushed slightly as they leaned in even more. Even Makarov was getting in on the interrogation, "No comment!" Natsu blurted out causing the crowd to collapse on the floor.

Lisanna found herself in a similar situation only the girls were being for less crass about it than the guys were. She glanced over at Natsu across the hall, impressed by how he defused his situation. "All I will say is that we had a wonderful night together." The girls all let out a squeal, "Our little Lisanna's all grown up!".

Failing to get anything out off Natsu, the guys realised they was someone else they could probe for information. Someone who was always with Natsu at all times. Happy. The blue Exceed looked nervous as the crowd came baring down at him waiting for some answers. Happy did in fact follow Natsu and Lisanna to the hut last night. Remembering the sights he witnessed, his little face dropped and he joined Elfman in the corner, "I don't wanna talk about it." he sounded depressed.

Eventually Natsu and Lisanna were allowed to reunite, but they were still the main topic of discussion around the guild hall. Gray couldn't believe that Natsu was even capable having romantic feelings and was still visibly uncomfortable with the sight of the couple even holding hands.

Natsu was very confused by Gray's lack of understanding, "I don't see what the big deal is Gray. After all, you're holding Juvia's hand." Gray looked offended, "No I'm not!" he yelled, before realising that he couldn't actually feel his hand anymore. He looked down and saw that Juvia was gripping onto his hand tightly, "What are you doing?" he cried out, "Juvia just wants to be close with Gray-sama". She quickly latched onto Gray and seemed to melt all over him, pinning him to ground.

Lisanna ran up to to the bar to talk to Mira. Erza sat down next to Natsu and rustled his pink hair, "I'm glad you've finally let Lisanna know how you truly feel about her Natsu. I have no doubt you'll keep her from harm. She's lucky to have you, make sure you cherish the time you have together." Natsu smiled brightly at Erza, "I will." He glanced over at Lisanna, "No matter what happens from this point on."


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning at Fairy Hills, Lisanna was woken suddenly, she was sweaty and her hair was a mess. "Room inspection, ladies!". It was the Landlady, Lisanna quickly looked around to wake up Natsu. He opened his eyes and saw that Lisanna was clearly panicking, "What's wrong?" he asked. She looked at him gravely, "The Landlady is doing another room inspection!". His face dropped, the Landlady had a very strict "no boys" policy and she wasn't too keen on Natsu at the best of times.

The couple quickly got dressed and tried to tidy the room. They could hear her in the room next door, they didn't have long to straighten out the bed or at least make it look like only one person had slept in it last night. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway, Natsu opened the window and climbed out, "Oh, Lisanna?", he called out making her come to look out the window, "Wha...?" before she could finish speaking Natsu popped his head back up to plant a kiss on her soft lips. "I'll see you later at the guild.".

A huge smile spread across her face but they were out of time, "Yes, I'll see you there. Now get going!". Beaming, Natsu dropped to the ground and started running to the guild. The door opened just as Lisanna sat down at her desk and pretended to be reading.

"Morning deary and how are we this morning?". The Landlady was an elderly woman who was very stuck in her traditional ways, hence the "no boys" policy in her leasing terms. Lisanna stood up and bowed her head, "Good morning! I'm very well thank you. How are you?". The old woman carefully scanned the room, looking for any sign that someone else had been in the room last night. Nothing. The room was spotless.

"Fine deary, just fine. Everything looks in order so I'll be on my way." A wave of relief overcame Lisanna. "Just one thing, Lisanna dear...", The old woman's gaze became serious, "Don't let me catch you with that hooligan boyfriend of yours in here, got it?". Lisanna was both nervous of the old woman's wrath and offended that she was insulting Natsu. Waving her hands nervously, "Oh no! I would never do that, I know how you feel about that kind of thing." She laughed nervously hoping the Landlady would buy it. The old woman smiled and nodded, "I understand deary. I was a young woman once myself." She laughed to herself as she left room, closing the door behind her.

At the guild hall Natsu was staring at the job board. When Lisanna hugged him from behind, and giggled in his ear about what had happened that morning. "Hey Natsu you should go on a job with Lucy and the other's today. I'm starting to feel guilty, like I'm taking you away from them." She said sheepishly. "You're probably right, it has been awhile and I'm sure Lucy is having rent troubles again." he smiled brightly at the white haired beauty as she clung on to him tightly. "Good. Elfman wants me to go on a job with him too, so I'll see you tonight? Same time and place?". She winked at him cheekily. "You bet. I'll see you later."

The pair shared a quick kiss before Lisanna left to meet with Elfman. Natsu spotted a job on the board that was perfect. Collecting Wyvern scales, one hundred thousand jewel per scale delivered. He wasn't sure what it all meant but it should help Lucy out at least.

"Oh here he is. Welcome back Natsu. We were thinking of renaming the team to Team Erza since you've been so busy lately." Lucy teased. Natsu beamed at his team as he laughed sheepishly. Erza looked at Natsu over the tea she was drinking, "By the way Natsu. The Landlady at Fairy Hills has been making a lot more room inspections lately. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?". She stared at him with cold eyes. Natsu started sweating, there was no way he could lie to Erza, she was a monster. Erza stated laughing, "You were right Lucy. This is going to be fun." _Bitches._

Composing himself, "I found this job. I figured we could all use it. I don't understand most of it but it should help out Lucy with her rent." he declared, he was eager to get going and move the conversation off his love life with Lisanna. Erza glanced over the flyer, she wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be another trap. "Great find Natsu. One hundred thousand jewel for each Wyvern scale we can deliver. Put simply the more scales we collect, the more jewel we get paid. What's more we won't be fighting in any towns so we shouldn't have to pay out for any compensation." Lucy was overjoyed, she might actually be able to pay her rent for several months with this job.

Gray also liked the sound of the job. Plenty of jewel for relatively easy work. "Sounds good to me." Lucy averted her gaze from him, "Er, Gray? Clothes?". Gray had been stark naked all morning without realising, Juvia was watching from behind pillar, her eyes filled with lustful bliss. "When did that happen?". He cried out. "Just get dressed so we can head out." Erza demanded.

Somewhere in the East Forest. "Listen, Lisanna.". _Here it comes. The 'Big Brother' talk._ She thought to herself, starting to feel embarrassed. "I'm not going to preach to you about being safe when it comes to being with a man." _Oh God. This is mortifying._ "Natsu's a real man and a real man never puts his loved ones in danger. I just want to say, I'm proud of you Lisanna." He rested his hand on her head and playfully ruffed her hair. "Elf nii-chan!" Lisanna pouted as she tried to force his hand away, eventually he gave in and laughed at how she looked both embarrassed and annoyed. The pair continued walking, "Thank you, Elf nii-chan." Lisanna eventually spoke, breaking the silence.

Making there way down from the mountains, Natsu and the others were celebrating the success of their job. After taking out several Wyvern and taking the scales to a nearby town each of them had earned five hundred thousand jewel. Lucy was over the moon, she couldn't remember the last time she did a job with Natsu that didn't end with them either losing half of the reward in damages or going home empty handed because Natsu refused to take payment for not meeting the specifics of the job.

However all of them had noticed that Natsu wasn't exactly the force of nature he normally is and couldn't resist teasing him about it. "What's wrong Natsu? Is Lisanna wearing you out?". Lucy giggled evilly. "Maybe you should work on improving your stamina Natsu. I'm sure Lisanna would appreciate it as well." Erza chimed in. She missed the days where she could could make Natsu uncomfortable and couldn't resist joining in. However their jibes were affecting Gray, who was now red faced and trying to block out the conversation, more than they were Natsu.

Oblivious to their teases, Natsu innocently blurted out, "I guess I'm just tired. I haven't really slept much the past few nights.". Erza, Lucy and Gray all suddenly turned bright red. That was not the reaction they were expecting.

The group headed into East Forest, still high spirited and enjoying each others company. Natsu was leading the way when he came to sudden stop. A could smell something or someone, he recognised the scent but where from? Suddenly a large silver skull shot out from a nearby bush and collied with Natsu's chest and forcing him into a large tree. Before the others could react four other slightly small skulls emerged and struck down the rest of the team.

Standing ahead of them was a tall cloaked figure. "Dark Re-quip: Oblivion!"


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I am moving house shortly (Aug 3rd) and won't have any internet until Aug 7th. I will try and upload another chapter before then. If not then please bare with me while I'm getting everything set up at new place :). Thanks for reading!**

A series of explosions erupted throughout East Forest. Natsu and his team were desperately trying to avoid the relentless attacks. Who was this guy? Why did he smell so familiar to Natsu? The skulls stopped their assault and returned to the staff that the cloaked figure was holding.

Now they had a moment to breath the group noticed that skulls they could see were far more demonic in their appearance. They had fangs instead of teeth and two curled horns at the top. Natsu narrowed his eyes, "Who are you? You smell like... Largo?". The cloaked man looked up, his hood still covered his eyes but they could clearly see an evil sneer on his face.

"So you're the ones." The man replied, "The one's who murdered my son. You must be the Dragon Slayer that drove him over the edge. I always knew that fool couldn't handle the Oblivion armour. He was always cruel but never cunning. I am Torvok Zein, Largo's father."

Natsu couldn't believe what he was hearing, "How could you talk like that about your own son?". A pair of demonic red eyes, glowed from under the man's hood, "Don't you dare lecture me, Dragon Slayer!". A bright purple light blasted from the largest skulls mouth and struck Natsu, knocking him to the ground. The attack was so fast that he didn't have time to react. The man scoffed at how easily Natsu had fallen.

"You're no Dragon Slayer after all. You're too arrogant. I know you haven't mastered Dragon Force yet. Judging by your battle with my son, it looks like you never will. You have no respect for your own magic. You lecture me about how I talk about my son? Yet you insult your own father by failing to properly utilise your abilities? Arrogance and hypocrisy hinder you boy and they will be your downfall.".

Erza helped Natsu to his feet, "Don't listen to him. He's using the same tricks as Largo. Don't listen to any of it, block it out. Besides remember what Levy said, while he's using that armour he's defenceless."

Torvok cackled at Erza's remarks. "You think so Titania Scarlet? There's a world of difference between Largo and myself.". He tore his cloak off to reveal what looked like a full suit of demonic battle armour, various horn like spikes covered the arms and fingers. While the main body looked like it was built to withstand an entherion blast. Largo's armour was only a helmet and shroud, this was completely different.

"My son never mastered Oblivion. This armour is sentient and will allow it's user to master it's abilities only when it has been beaten into submission. Largo failed to understand this and his life was forfeit. Hence why it was necessary for him to take the lives of so many powerful mages." He explained calmly, "I, however, am in complete control. My life is sustained by the armour which draws it's own energy from the underworld. Put simply, my power is limitless!".

His eyes were fixed on Natsu the whole time, like the others didn't matter. "Contrary to what your friend tells you, boy. I don't need to lower myself to psychological tactics. I have faced two Dragon Slayers in the passing centuries. One who used and consumed Ice and one who used Earth. Do you know what they both have in common?." A sinister smile sat on his lips as he twirled his staff around to reveal two human skulls.

"They both managed to destroy one of my skulls each. _So I replaced them!_ ". He snarled, never taking his eyes of Natsu. "Like you they were both first generation slayers but unlike you they had mastered Dragon Force. It didn't do them any good. So return that skull to me, unless you want to join your predecessors!".

That's when everyone noticed that Natsu had caught one of the skulls and was refusing to let it go, despite it's continued efforts. Natsu was furious, flames enveloped his hand as he crushed the skull. "I can ignore your attempts at insulting Igneel. But having such disregard for your own son and murdering other Dragon Slayers just for spare parts?! That I cannot forgive!."

He readied himself to attack. Torvok raised his hand slightly, an eerie purple aura surrounded it, from behind a tree a figure emerged. Surrounded by the same aura. Natsu's heart froze, "Lisanna! You bastard! Let her go!". Torvok's eyes burrowed into Natsu's, "Take one step and she dies here!"

Natsu froze on the spot. There was no way he could get to her in time. "What have you done with Elfman?". Torvok held Lisanna in front of him, he held out his hand like he was holding an orange and squeezed. Lisanna screamed in agony as the purple aura turned into flames. He relaxed his hand and her pain subsided. Natsu was seething, his whole body, engulfed with his flames.

"Listen carefully boy! You have one chance to safe the girl and her brother. Come to the town where you broke my son's spirit and surrender yourself to me. Come alone. If you fail to meet my demands... well let's just say that by the end of the day I'll be replacing that skull you destroyed!". Gray was confused, Torvok seemed to be contradicting himself.

He had such a low opinion of Largo but seemed to want revenge? He could tackle several enemies at once while using Oblivion yet wanted Natsu alone?, "I thought you didn't even like your son?!." Gray yelled out, agitated by the contradicting nature of Torvok's demands. "There's a difference you know between not liking one's son and not caring when a group of glorified mercenaries murder him in a one sided battle."

Torvok and Lisanna disappeared in a haze of purple light. Before he could move a muscle Erza stood in Natsu's way, "I understand how you feel but I need you to calm down! There's no way we're letting you go there alone!". Natsu was still enraged and it was difficult to talk reason to him when he was wanting to go on a rampage. "CALM DOWN? HE'S GOT LISANNA AND ELFMAN!". Knowing there was no arguing with him Erza suddenly threw her arms around Natsu and hugged him tightly, stunned by her reaction his flames died down as she held him against her. "Please Natsu! We all want to save them, we all know how you feel about Lisanna. But without a plan we could end up losing all three of you."

Natsu could feel warm tears against his face, Erza was crying. "Please! Let's get back to the guild and tell Master Makarov what's happened. He'll come up with something." Natsu felt another pair of arms wrap around him from behind, it was Lucy. "Listen to Erza. We almost lost you after you fought Largo. Torvok seems so much worse.". Gray placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "C'mon Natsu. Largo was tough enough to give you a challenge but Torvok is in a whole different league. This time we need a plan."

Unclenching his fists, Natsu place a hand on Erza's head and with the other, held onto Lucy's hand. "OK. Then let's get going.". A sense of relief came over the group, soon replaced with determination as they ran back to the guild.

A furious Makarov listened carefully as Erza brought him up to speed on the situation. Natsu stood at the bar, the image of Lisanna being tortured fresh in his mind. He gritted his teeth, baring his fangs that became more prominent as time passed. He felt a hand on his head, it was Gildarts. "Don't worry Natsu. We'll get her back." his face was serious, Gildarts was usually so carefree. A brief moment of relief came over him.

"Natsu." Makarov called out, "I want you follow Torvok's instructions...".


	15. Chapter 15

"Natsu? Are you sure about this?" Happy was nervous as he flew towards the remains of the village where they had encountered Largo. "Of course I'm sure, there's no way I'm taking the train again. I need to be at my best this time round." Natsu had a determined look in his eyes, "Besides this is what Gramps wants. It's what I want too, I will get Lisanna and Elfman back." This seemed to cheer up the little Exceed, "Aye!"

The pair landed quietly close to where Torvok had told them to meet him. Natsu crouched behind a pile of rubble, he peeked over the top. In the clearing Elfman laid lifeless on the floor, Lisanna was pinned up against a wall. Both of their clothes were torn and ragged, the result of constant beatings and torture.

It was obviously a trap but the sight of them made Natsu's blood boil. He stepped out into the clearing, "TORVOK! GET OUT HERE NOW!" he roared, flames erupting from his throat. Lisanna raised her weary head, her once bright blue eyes were now dull. She had endured so much and had little strength left but hearing Natsu's voice gave her a much needed boost, "N..Natsu...? You're really... here?". Her vision was blurry but she could make out Natsu's pink hair.

"I'm here, Lisanna. Don't worry I'm going to get you and Elfman out off here".  
"I'm sorry, Natsu. We were caught off guard, he was relentless."  
"It's not your fault. I'm gonna beat this guy senseless and then we're going home!"

He beamed brightly at Lisanna but the moment was cut short by a deep cackle echoing around the wreckage.

Torvok emerged from the shadows. "I had almost given up on you boy! I was getting so bored and these two have provided such little amusement." Torvok giggled to himself as he admired his handy work on his victims. He ran his hand down the side of Lisanna's face and ran his fingers through her hair. "Such a pretty young thing..." suddenly he reached his hand back and struck Lisanna's cheek, "Stay with me girl. The last thing you're going to see before you die is watch the man you love writhe in agony, before I add his skull to my staff."

Tears began pouring down her face, partly from the pain of his strike but mostly out of fear for Natsu's safety. Natsu was furious but he held his ground, he had to stick to Makarov's plan.

" _It's important that you keep him talking, keep him distracted. Do not engage him until we get Lisanna and Elfman to safety."_

Natsu was fighting every instinct in his body. He wanted so badly to charge on Torvok and make him pay. But he had to buy time, he tried to defuse his frustration by clenching his fists and forcing all of his weight into his feet."What's wrong boy? You're normally so eager to battle. Why the restraint? Are you afraid?."

In an effort to buy time Natsu blurted out the first thing that came to his head, "Why was your armour sentenced? What did it do?". Torvok stared at Natsu in a stunned silence. "Back in East Forest you said the Oblivion Armour was sentenced? It must have done something pretty bad to get arrested. Come to think of it why would anyone sentence a suit of armour?".

Torvok was getting agitated by Natsu's ignorance. "I said SENTIENT you moron! Sen-ti-ent!". Natsu stared blankly before turning to Happy, "What does that mean?" he whispered

"I think it's a type of fish. His suit is made out off fish!"  
"Really? That's weird! You're supposed to eat fish not wear it!"  
"Aye! It's a disgrace, such a waste!"

Torvok's eye twitched in annoyance. "It's ALIVE! Oblivion is a living demonic armour. Unless one truly forces it into submission the price for it's use is your own life force. Do you understand now the danger you face? This armour possesses the power of the underworld and _I_ am it's master! Now, kneel before me and surrender your life! Otherwise these two die!"

A big grin spread across Natsu's face, "That threat would be more impressive if you had hostages." he gave off a cheeky giggle. Torvok looked behind and was shocked to see that Lisanna and Elfman were both gone. "How is that possible? Maybe those two had more strength than I thought. You think you can fool me, Dragon Slayer! I'll destroy you and when I find that girlfriend of yours, I'll make her suffer.". Torvok laughed loudly as he raised his staff two of the skulls were missing. "Her end won't be quick or painless! But you don't have time to worry about her, I've got you exactly where I want you!"

There was a long eerie silence but nothing happened. Torvok was clearly confused and Natsu was getting tired of listening to this old man talk, "You know, for someone so powerful, you sure run your mouth a lot!"

Torvok turned to face Natsu only to be greeted by two others. A tall muscular man with long black hair, piercing red eyes and metal studs around his eyes and nose and a petite bluenette in a short green dress had both appeared next to Natsu and they were both holding a skull each.

"So you're that cowardly bastards old man huh?" Gajeel grunted, as he crushed the skull in his hand, he seemed unimpressed by what he saw. "And you've killed two Dragon Slayer's and used their remains to maintain your staff?" Wendy followed up by dropping her skull on the ground and stamping on it, clearly disgusted by Torvok's past actions. Natsu cracked his knuckles, "So let's see how you handle three Dragon Slayer's old timer."

Torvok glared at the trio. "Three Dragon Slayers... Three skulls destroyed... This is just too perfect! There aren't many who can claim to have killed a Dragon Slayer and after tonight, only _I_ can claim to have killed five!"


	16. Chapter 16

"Fast wind that run the heaven... VERNIER!. Power of the stout arms that tears heaven... ARMS!" Wendy immediately began casting her support magic on Natsu, Gajeel and herself. The three Slayers could feel their bodies becoming lighter and their magic power increasing. Not wanting to give Torvok a second to react they all charged him at once.

"FIRE DRAGON FIST!"  
"IRON DRAGON CLUB!"  
"SKY DRAGON CRUSHING FANG!"

The three slayers all had Torvok in their sights and timed their attacks perfectly. However, as if moving in slow motion, Torvok carefully repositioned himself and easily countered the attacks. He grabbed Natsu's still flaming fist and threw him into Wendy. He then took hold of Gajeel's Iron Club and swung him around a few times before swinging his foot up and kicking Gajeel off into the remains of a nearby house.

Even with Wendy's support magic Torvok was somehow able to predict their speed and position and react accordingly. "Spirited yet reckless. Typical of Dragon Slayer's, you charge in head first with no plan, no strategy. Just instinct and bravado, you can't rely on luck in a battle such as this. I've had two hundred years to master all known forms of offence and defence. Don't take me lightly dragon brats! I'm nothing like that fool, Largo!".

With that he aimed his staff at the trio, with the largest skull baring it's fangs at them. A purple magic circle formed in front of it's face. "Hell's Inferno!". A large beam erupted from the skull and and obliterated the area where the trio had fallen. A huge purple mass enveloped them before exploding.

As the dust began to settle Torvok spotted what appeared to be a wall of ice protecting Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy from the blast. The wall quickly disintegrated, revealing a half naked Gray. "That was close, I really didn't expect him to have that much destructive force."

Natsu was furious, "Hey! What's the big deal pervert!? I never asked for your help!". Gray pressed his face into Natsu's, "Is that any way to greet the guy who just saved your ass, flame brain?"  
"I could've taken that no problem!"  
"Well by all means take the next one. I only did it to protect Wendy, you just got lucky!"  
"You wanna go, droopy eyes?!"  
"Thought you'd never ask, slanty eyes!"

The bickering pair were interrupted by the one thing they both feared, "Natsu! Gray! Knock it off!" Erza bellowed at them as she approached. Torvok watched on, greatly amused by the lack of camaraderie he was seeing. "Well it seems my wayward son was even weaker than I thought." he chuckled to himself, "If he was defeated by a bunch of fairies who can't even work together, I'm surprised he survived for as long as he did."

Erza had been watching the fight carefully but couldn't work out how Torvok had countered the attacks. Cobra did something similar on Nirvana, he "listened" to his opponents movements. Was Torvok doing the same? She needed to fight him herself to make a proper assessment of his abilities. "Re-quip!". Her body disappeared in a bright light as she changed into her Heaven's Wheel Armour, "Blumenblatt!". Erza charged at Torvok with a barrage of swords following close behind. With the two swords she held her hands she swiped at him. However, like before, he seemed to predict her attack and leaned backwards to avoid the strikes. He seemed to be hovering above the ground as Erza flew over him. He placed a hand on the ground and delivered a kick into Erza's stomach, sending her into the air. He quickly jumped back to his feet and began walking backwards, avoiding every single one of Erza's blades as they struck the ground in front of him.

"Ice Make: Knuckle!" Gray formed a wave of ice fists at Torvok who simply stood his ground and allowed Gray's attack to strike. The fists simply shattered as they struck his armour having no effect on Torvok at all. Erza had recovered and was standing next to Gray.

Torvok raised his hand in air, a purple aura surrounded it. He swung his hand out to the side, "Hell's Wrath!". A purple blaze erupted around the group, the demonic flames sent agony through the entire bodies. Torvok listened to their tortured screams, a twisted smile sat on his lips.

"How does it feel fairies? To find yourselves in a one sided battle. No hope of winning, just desperation controlling your actions? Now you know how my son must have felt when you all ganged up on him. Hopeless. Savour this feeling fairies, it'll be the last sensation you ever feel!". Torvok cackled. He truly enjoyed tormenting others, he revelled in it.

He strange noise caught his attention. It sounded like someone was inhaling and eating at the same time. Somehow the purple flames were dying down, like they were being sucked into a void. His eyes widened as he saw who was responsible. Natsu was back on his feet and was eating the demonic flames.

"Natsu! Don't be reckless!". Erza cried out but it was too late. As he sucked down the last of the flames he let out a disappointed sigh, "Man those flames were nasty!". Torvok watched in amazement. "Eating demonic flames? How is that possible?!". A huge grin spread across Natsu's face, "I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer. Eating flames gets me fired up! It doesn't matter where they come from. The important thing is now that I've eaten, I feel re-energised!"

Suddenly his body erupted with flames, both purple and orange flames enveloped him as his power began to rise. He let out an inhuman roar as scales began to form on his arms and around his eyes. The flames rose up into the air like a beacon before dying down.

Natsu fixed his eyes on Torvok, there was a rage burning in them far greater than when he fought Largo. Torvok crossed a line, he hurt Lisanna in front of him and now he was going to pay him back tenfold.


	17. Chapter 17

Erza stared at Natsu, once again in awe of what he was truly capable off. She had previously witnessed this form during their fight with Jellal. Maybe Natsu wasn't being reckless after all, he seems to possess a natural instinct for battle. Not matter the how high the odds are stacked against him, he always finds a way to overcome them.

Gray wasn't sure to make of what he was seeing, "A Demon Dragon Slayer? Is that even possible?". Mira had been nursing Lisanna's and Elfman's injuries. "It's only temporary.", she explained, "Without the Demon Factor, Natsu won't be able to sustain this form for long. It's this factor that allows me to use Satan Soul and use Take Over on demons. Natsu will need to make every attack count before he loses the Oblivion's flames."

Natsu suddenly launched at Torvok, his speed had increased so much that the others could barely keep up with him. "FIRE DEMON OBLIVION FIST!". Natsu's own flames combined with the Oblivion's flames around his fist as he swung his attack. Torvok reached out his hand ready to counter the approaching inferno.

He caught Natsu's fist but wasn't expecting the young slayer to strike with such force. The impact forced Torvok back, he tried digging his feet in the ground to stand firm but to no avail. "FIRE DRAGON FLAME ELBOW!", Natsu roared as a jet of flames erupted from his elbow, propelling him further and increasing his attack even more. Torvok couldn't counter the ferocity and quickly lost his footing. "FIRE DEMON ROAR!", Natsu quickly followed up with an overpowered demonic roar. Torvok was helpless, all he could do was watch in wide eyed horror as the attack collied with him head on.

The resulting explosion forced everyone down, the shock wave of the blast felt like all of Earth Land was coming apart. Erza was shocked, this was nothing like what she saw at the Tower of Heaven. Natsu was switching between his own Dragon Slayer magic and the Oblivion's Demonic magic with such ease, like it was second nature.

Torvok got to his feet, clearly shocked by what was happening. There were several cracks in his armour. Enraged Torvok resorted to desperate measures, he aimed his staff at Lisanna, "Bring her to me!". The large skull took off and latched onto Lisanna, before the others could react it quickly dragged her over to Torvok. Grabbing her by the throat he used her as a shield to prevent Natsu from attacking.

"Impressive boy! I admit I underestimated you're abilities. However you still have a weakness. Her. You'll never master you're abilities while you still act on your emotions. Since I have her you won't dare attack, I've won!"

Natsu stared into Torvok's eyes, infuriated.

"FIRE DRAGON...!"

Mira went to stop Natsu from attacking only to be stopped suddenly, "Don't worry. No harm will come to her.". Mira looked behind her, "Master?". Makarov kept his eyes on the battle ahead, he didn't seem at all concerned. "Just watch Mira."

Torvok's eyes widened, "You can't! I have your little girlfriend here! Aren't you listening?!". Lisanna smiled, her blue eyes once again shone brightly, "Do it, Natsu!" she yelled.

"ROAR!"

A roaring inferno erupted from Natsu's throat and rapidly approached Torvok and Lisanna. The flames engulfed the pair, the heat was so intense that Torvok loosened his grip on Lisanna and let her go before the force of the attack blew him away.

Lisanna remained calm, standing in Natsu's flames she felt a familiar warmth. It reminded her of the night they spent together in their straw hut. The flames died down and to everyone's amazement Lisanna was unharmed. Erza turned to Makarov looking for an explanation, before punishing Natsu for attacking a fellow guild member and his own girlfriend.

"When magic is used from the heart, that magic will do the hearts bidding. It doesn't matter if it's for good or evil purposes. When you believe in yourself and your abilities you can overcome any obstacle. When two hearts truly become one their magic also becomes one. Natsu's flames won't ever harm Lisanna because his heart won't allow it."

Natsu suddenly felt weak, the scales on his arms and eyes began to fade and Oblivion's flames had run out. He fell to his knees and started to fall forwards to the ground. Lisanna ran up to him and caught him in her arms as he fell. "I've got you, Natsu." she whispered to him as she held onto him tightly.

Natsu had barely any strength left but he managed to wrap his arms around Lisanna and pull her in close. Mira ran up to the couple and threw her arms around them both, overwhelmed with joy not only because they were both save but because of how close they had become.

"Such a sweet moment!" Torvok mocked, "You didn't think it was going to be that easy did?". The Oblivion Armour looked like it was hanging on by a thread, large chunks were missing and cracks had formed al over.

Makarov's eyes glowed yellow, "You've already lost this battle Torvok, surrender!" he bellowed. This was the second time his children had been harmed by this Dark Magic and it was going to be the last.

Torvok scoffed at the demand. "You're in no position to make any demands of me. The only mage in your guild capable of standing up to me is all out off magic power. So you should surrender to me!".

Makarov let out a sigh, "I have a tactic that's proven to be very effective on some of my more head strong brats. I'm going to give you to the count of three, to kneel before the Fairy Tail Guild and beg for forgiveness!"

"Beg? You expect me to beg?"  
"One..."  
"I am Torvok Zein, Master of the Oblivion Armour!"  
"Two..."  
"I've lived for two centuries, what do you think you can possibly do to me? Little man!"  
"Three..."

A small ball of yellow light had formed between Makarov's hands as readied his attack. Undeterred, Torvok raised his staff at Makarov, a look of pure insanity sat on his face.

"FAIRY LAW!"

Makarov slammed his hands together and a huge magic circle formed in the sky above. A blinding bright light lit up the whole area. Torvok seemed to disappear into the light as it's brightness increased.

The light soon began to fade, cowering in front of Makarov was Torvok. A fragile looking old man, shaking like a leaf. His armour was gone and he was too paralysed with fear to fight anymore. The only thing left from his staff were the two Dragon Slayer skulls. Erza picked them up, "We should give them a proper burial, I'm sure that's what Natsu would want." She glanced over to him and saw that he was fast asleep, snoring away quite happily while Lisanna, Mira and Wendy tended to his wounds.

Gajeel was visibly nervous, sweat was pouring down his face, "Wow, the old man really goes all out when protecting his guild, huh?". Levy slid up to him and started poking his side, "He sure does. You should remember that, considering how easy you got off". Gajeel gritted his teeth at Levy trying to intimidate her, but the fact he was blushing just made him look kinda cute in her eyes. Jet and Droy started mocking Gajeel but instantly regretted it as his glaring red eyes pierced into them. They both turned white as they cried for Levy to protect them.

Back at the guild Lisanna and Natsu were in the infirmary, Mira had made sure their beds were pushed together so they could be close to each other. Elfman was in the next bed keeping a watchful eye on Lisanna. The others had gotten away with relatively minor injuries, Natsu was suffering from side effects of eating demonic fire.

Torvok had been taken away to be questioned by the Magic Council. Chances were high that he would be executed for using forbidden magic. The council needed to be seen like they were still capable of dealing with these kind of threats. Torvok would set an example to the Dark Guilds.

In the main hall celebrations were in full swing. Gajeel and Levy were sitting quietly together in a corner, much to the disapproval of Jet and Droy. Gray and Juvia were deep in conversation, again they sat away from everyone else.

Makarov watched both couples carefully. With those four seemingly so close and Lisanna and Natsu being officially together. He could feel a lump in his throat as he thought to himself. _You brats are growing up too damn fast._


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning Mira was talking to Natsu just outside East Forest. She was concerned about any potential side effects he may be suffering after eating the Oblivion's flames and wanted to discuss it away from the guild. Lisanna had mentioned that Natsu kept squirming in the night, like he was having a relentless nightmare. Natsu tried to brush it off like it was no big deal and he'd be fine in no time.

Mira flashed a hard stare, "Natsu! Don't hide anything, Lisanna told me you were having nightmares last night. What happened?". Her stare made Natsu nervous, beneath her smiles and good nature was a monster more terrifying than Erza.

He looked away from her gaze, "I kept hearing a voice all night long. It kept saying the same thing over and over, but I couldn't understand what it was saying. Something about 'needing a host'? But I kept seeing that skull, the large one that Torvok kept at the top of his stick, it felt like it was pulling me towards it. I'm sure it's nothing..."

Mira placed her hands on his shoulders and squeezed them tight, there was fear in her eyes. She pulled Natsu close to her and hugged him tightly, "It's just as I feared. Oblivion needs a host in order to survive... and it's chosen you as it's next victim." she pulled away a flashed him a smile, "You're the most important person to Lisanna and that makes you important to me as well. I'm going to help you put an end to this, Natsu."

Natsu really wasn't used to getting this kind of attention from the others and it made him feel a little awkward. "A real man defends his family." Elfman and Lisanna approached from the entrance to East Forest, he placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You're part of our family now Natsu, so we're all going to help with this". Lisanna took hold of Natsu's hand and held it tightly, gazing into his eyes, "You saved me from Torvok. I couldn't just stay quiet about your nightmares last night."

A big grin spread across Natsu's face, "Alright then. Where do we start?"

Back at the guild Erza, Wendy, Gray, Juvia and Lucy were discussing last nights events. Juvia was staring intently at Lucy while latching onto Gray. She was also sceptical of Lisanna wanting to be her partner for the trials, feeling she was also after her beloved Gray-sama. But it was clear that Lisanna only had eyes for Natsu, that only left the blonde bimbo as her love rival.

Erza was thinking about how different Natsu became whenever he used Dragon Force. But he apparently couldn't use it at will and needed outer influences or some kind of intake to temporarily boost his power in order to achieve it. She had no doubt that if he did ever master the ability then he truly could surpass her, she was looking forward to the possibility of facing him in the trials. Her train of thought was interrupted when Gildarts approached.

"I hear Natsu really did a number on that Torvok guy. Sounds like a missed a great battle. I can't wait to see what he brings to the trials." Seemed like Gildarts was also looking forward to taking on Natsu, "Where is he anyway? I saw him leave with Mirajane early this morning.". Desperate to get away from Juvia's death stare Lucy chimed in, "I was talking to Mira last night in the infirmary. She was worried that Natsu maybe suffering from some really nasty side effects from the demonic fire he ate last night. She wanted to talk to him privately so she took him away from Magnolia, she didn't say where though."

Gildarts face turned serious, "He ate demonic fire? The kid sure takes risks, I'm not sure whether to call him an idiot or a genius. According to the old man, Natsu's power was unlike anything he'd ever seen before." Erza glanced up at Gildarts, "The Master's not exaggerating. If Natsu could master the ability to use Dragon Force at will? I can't even imagine what he'd be capable of achieving. Even as a child he was like that, completely fearless and refused to give up until he had nothing left, or if I knocked him out."

Gildarts was listening carefully to what Erza was saying, "Well, seems he's still got some important things to learn. Being fearless is part of his problem, it's what's holding him back." Gray was confused, after what he saw last night how could being fearless possibly hold Natsu back?, "I don't understand. How can fear help Natsu become stronger?".

Gildarts looked at the youngsters in front of him, "You're all still young. As you continue your paths into the ways of magic and battle you'll learn a lot of lessons. Knowing your fears and your limits can help you survive any situation. Knowing when to retreat, when to surrender and accept defeat those are all things you'll need to learn over the course of your lives. As Erza said, Natsu doesn't know when to quit or back down. It's served him well so far but eventually he'll meet an enemy that he won't be able to beat and his recklessness will be the end of him."

A gloomy atmosphere sat around the table as they all recalled the times they tried to get Natsu to back down from a fight but couldn't. Was it even possible to make him understand what Gildarts was saying?. "I wouldn't concern yourselves too much. I have a feeling that he'll get the lesson he needs during the trials."

Erza looked at Gildarts suspiciously, "Why are you so certain of that?". Gildarts flashed a grin at her, "The kids got a great nose. Who do you think he's going to seek out to test his strength against?". Erza gave a knowing smile as Gildarts left the hall. Lucy turned to Erza, "What did he mean by that?". Erza closed her eyes and smiled to herself, "If anyone can teach Natsu what real fear is, it's Gildarts."

Deep in East Forest, Natsu was sitting alone in a clearing. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be concentrating on something.

" _Natsu..."_ he heard an eerie whisper. Natsu opened his eyes and immediately scanned his surroundings. Nothing and there was only the scent of the plants and animals in the air too.

" _Natsu... Come here..."_

He heard it again. That's when Natsu noticed an area of the forest shrouded in darkness. The voice was coming from deep in the darkness. It was the same voice he had heard in his nightmare.

He stared intently into the darkness. He could make out a faint silhouette of a skull, the eyes glowing a demonic purple. _"Come to me... Natsu Dragneel..."_


	19. Chapter 19

Natsu rose to his feet and made his way into the darkness without hesitation. He could barely see anything in front of him, yet he was avoiding all obstacles, it was like he was in some kind of trance. As he made his way deeper into the forest he could see the demonic skull that had survived the previous battle. This time however it wasn't on top of the staff, but it was wearing the Oblivion Armour.

" _Excellent... You're mind is easy to manipulate, but your power far exceeds those fools Largo and Torvok. You will make an excellent host..."_

Natsu couldn't move his body but he could still speak, "What do you mean? A host for what?". He asked, keeping his cool. " _It's simple. I need a host in order to survive... Returning to the underworld is not a possibility but without a host body in this world I'll eventually be forced to return."_

"I don't understand. What has any this got to do with me?"  
 _"Torvok believed that I was keeping him alive for the last two centuries. But the truth is in exchange for the immortality he wanted his soul was linked to the underworld. I merely acted as a bridge connecting them. Once the magic council executes him he'll spend eternity in the underworld. Eventually he'll become a demon, the same will happen to his son of course."  
_ "Bastard! Did you even bother to tell me what they getting themselves into?"  
" _Of course not! Not that it matters, I promised them immortality and now they have it. It will only cost them their souls as well as their minds. A small price to pay, don't you think?"_

The skull leaned in close to Natsu's face, it's purple eyes seemed to stare into his soul. The Oblivion could hear something resonating deep in Natsu's being. Natsu cried out in pain, it felt like his mind was literally being torn apart by the demonic skull.

" _What is that? There's something inside you, is it the source of your..."_

Oblivion stopped talking when it noticed a twisted smile on Natsu's face. His eyes were closed as laughed evilly at the armours attempts to unravel his mind. "So in reality you're nothing more than soul scavenging coward, huh?". There was a sharp, sinister to his voice.

The Oblivion was losing it's hold over him, it attempted to increase it's power to regain control but was interrupted when Natsu's body appeared to start glowing and his body started changing. Taking on a more demonic appearance.

Mirajane had used her Transformation Magic to take on Natsu's form to fool Oblivion. Now she was using Satan Soul, her big blue eyes filled with hate as she stared at the demonic scum before her.

"Evil Explosion!"

The dark shroud quickly dispersed as the force the explosion blew it away along with a large portion of the forest. _"Satan Soul? You know you pack one hell of a punch, Mirajane Strauss!"._

Oblivion seemed thrilled to be facing Mira again, Largo was so weak during their last encounter it wasn't able to take on the Take Over mage for real.

" _So you're attempting to save the Dragon Slayer by taking his place?"  
_ "Natsu is part of my family. I'll do whatever is necessary to protect my family."

Mira's tail slammed into the ground behind her as she locked eyes with Oblivion. Twice now this monster had hurt Natsu and Lisanna. There wasn't going to be a third.

"Beast Soul!", Elfman cried out as he emerged from setting dust of Mira's attack. His whole body took on the form of the large beast that had caused him once attack Lisanna when he lost control of the Take Over. However, Elfman was now in complete control and with his family in danger he was a force to reckoned with.

He lunged at Oblivion, grabbing the skull in his large clawed hand, he lifted the demon armour into the air before smashing it back down into the ground. Keeping his vice like grip on the skull he pressed down hard and spun around dragging the Oblivion through the ground before throwing it through air. As it hurtled towards a nearby mountain, Oblivion twisted it's body around, aiming it's feet at the mountain. Purple flames erupted at it's feet, slowing it down before colliding with the rocky mass.

"Take Over: Animal Soul!". Lisanna leapt into the air as her body once again took on the form of a giant rabbit. _Not again!_ Oblivion thought as Lisanna crushed it into the mountain using the full force of her weight. She held her ground as Happy and the real Natsu descended quickly from above, "DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART...!"

Lisanna forced all off her weight into her giant rabbit feet and forced herself out off the way of Natsu's attack. Happy increased his speed before he threw Natsu towards Oblivion.

"CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!". A torrent of highly destructive flames erupted from Natsu's body and barraged Oblivion. Forcing it deeper into the mountain before the resulting explosion engulfed the demonic entity and obliterated the rocky mound into dust.

Natsu landed on the ground close to Lisanna, Mira, Elfman and Happy, "Even Igneel would have to be impressed with that one." He beamed, immensely proud of the destruction he had caused, "Aye!" Happy cheered.

Still in her Satan Soul form, Mira charged into the debris to search the chaos for Oblivion. It didn't take her long and she soon returned, throwing it to the ground and stamping her demonic foot onto the skull, pressing down hard. The group stared down at the skull, glaring angrily at the skull. This was the end.

Cracks began to form around the skull under the force of Mira's foot. _"Wait! You can't do this! I can give you true immortality! Think of everything you can achieve when you can never die!"._ Mira slowly began increasing the pressure on the skull. "We've already achieved far more in our short lives than you can could ever offer us!"

Her eyes were cold and menacing as she forced her foot down, crushing the skull into the ground. The group watched as the armour began to rust and decay in front of them, it was like the centuries it had endured were finally catching up. Before long all that was left was a mound of dust. Oblivion had finally been defeated.

After a short rest the group were making there way back towards the guild. With everything that had happened there wasn't much time to prepare for the trials so they'd have to work in as much training as possible. Mira, Erza and Gildarts would be leaving before everyone else as they were the judges this year. But before that Mira had something special she wanted to give Natsu.

Lisanna, Elfman and Happy headed into the guild hall. Natsu was about to follow before Mira stopped him, "Natsu. After everything I've seen lately it's clear to me that Lisanna means a lot to you. So I want you have this, in case you need it one day."

She took Natsu's hand and placed a ring in his palm, "It was our mother's. Lisanna always used to talk about how you two were going to get married one day. So I want you have it, just in case." She smiled brightly at Natsu.

Natsu was fully aware of the importance of Mira's gesture and was remembering the times he and Lisanna often attacked like a married couple while raising Happy's egg. A big smile spread across his face, "Thank you, Mira.". The pair shared a hug before entering the guild hall.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Sorry for the delay but I had to think carefully about how I was going to write this chapter. I'm not a romantic in real life so I struggle to write it effectively and I wanted to stay as true to the characters as possible. Anyway I really hope you like it :)**

The following morning...

"Delay the trials? For what possible reason?". Makarov shouted in annoyance. Natsu carefully glanced around the office, checking the windows and doors for anyone who may over hear their conversation.

Makarov watched in a confused state. He'd never seen Natsu behave like this before, "Can't have everyone finding out... Not yet...". Natsu whispered as he darted around the office checking everything, even the bin, for any potential spies. "Oh for the love of Earth Land boy, what are you up to?"

Natsu darted over as Makarov took a sip of his drink. He then whispered into Makarov's ear his reason for wanting to delay the trial. The old man chocked before spitting out his drink he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "WHAT!? Are you serious? You!?...". Natsu flashed a big smile, "Yep! But you can't tell anyone, not yet.". Makarov could feel himself welling up, "I won't say a word. I'll delay the trials so you can get everything ready. But I want to be there when it happens.". Natsu's smile grew wider, "You got it!". He quickly turned and ran out of the room, he had no idea how he was going to pull it off, he needed help.

In the guild hall Natsu was having a quiet conversation with Mira at the bar. Erza, Lucy, Gray, Juvia and Wendy were carefully making their way closer to the bar so they could eavesdrop. Mira was smiling brightly at Natsu, "You'll have to give it your own personal touch. That's what will make it memorable.". Natsu seemed deep in thought as he took on what Mira was saying. "Lisanna's out on a job with Elfman so you've got plenty of time.". Natsu slammed his fists together, "Thanks Mira, I have to go, no time to waste."

Natsu darted out off the guild hall, leaving his team mates none the wiser. Lucy slid up to the bar, "What was that all about?". Mira had been put on the spot, she had to think of something quickly, "Oh Natsu just wants to surprise Lisanna with something. So I recommended he tried cooking one of her favourite meals, but it's a surprise so keep it to yourselves."

Gray scoffed, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Have you tasted his cooking?.". Erza glared at Gray, making him shrink into his seat. "I think it's a wonderful gesture. A fine way to show your affection to someone. You could learn a thing or two from his example, Gray?". Juvia slid up to Gray and held onto his arm tightly, "Juvia agrees. She can't help but feel a little jealous of Lisanna.". Lucy smiled quietly to herself, Natsu's cooking wasn't that bad. But he could certainly use some advice when it came to seasoning, maybe actually using some would make his gesture all the more special. Lucy quickly left the guild hall, she wanted to make sure that he at least got that right.

Natsu had returned to his house with Happy, he was looking through a draw, "There it is! I knew I put it somewhere safe." He took the ring Mira had given him and gave it to Happy to store it is bag. Lucy knocked on the door before letting herself in, Happy quickly stuffed the ring into his bag and the pair tried to act as nonchalantly as possible. Lucy knew this look all too well and was immediately suspicious, "What are you two up to?".

Natsu's eyes narrowed, "Hold on...". He walked passed Lucy and stepped outside, "You might as well come out guys, I could smell you a mile away!". Erza, Gray, Juvia and Wendy all poked their heads out from behind the surrounding trees.

"Remind me why we were sneaking up here again? You know how good his nose is." Gray said in a sarcastic tone. "Nevermind that, just get inside will ya? I need your help with something." Natsu quickly ushered everyone inside. He paused and sniffed the air, good no one else was there.

Everyone sat around, eagerly waiting to find out what was so important that Natsu needed their help. "Natsu you don't need all of us to help cook for you. It's not that hard.". Natsu stared at Gray, confused by his statement, "Cooking? What the hell are you talking about? Of course I don't need you for that."

Erza rose to her feet, "Are in you some kind of trouble? We're all here for you if you are!". Wendy eagerly jumped up, "That's right!". Natsu rubbed the back of his head, "Er... No. Not that kind of trouble.". Lucy was concerned, "What is it Natsu? You don't have to worry, you can tell us".

Juvia was convinced she knew what was going, "Juvia feels you consider Gray-sama a love rival! That he's trying to steal Lisanna away from you!," The pink haired boy stared at Juvia, "Why would I consider Gray a rival?". Feeling insulted Gray leapt up, "What are you trying to say?!". Erza landed a crippling blow on Gray's head sending him crashing into the floor.

"Natsu, what is it?", she sounded worried. A huge smile spread across Natsu's face, "I'm going to ask Lisanna to marry me.". There was a long silence as the group stared at Natsu, shocked by the revelation. Suddenly Lucy and Wendy let out squeals of delight as they latched onto Natsu. Juvia covered her mouth with her hands as tears started falling down her face.

Gray approached, "Are you serious?". Natsu held up his hand and Happy threw the ring to him. He caught it and held in his open hand so everyone could see it, "Yep, I'm serious." The ring was silver and contained three jewels at the top, they were the same shade of blue as Mira and Lisanna's eyes. "Where did you get the money for this?" Lucy asked, "I didn't buy it, Mira gave it to me. She said it was her mother's and Lisanna always loved this ring as she didn't really know her parents."

A loud thud rang out as Erza pulled Natsu into her armoured chest, "Hard.." he squeaked. Erza smiled brightly, "Natsu, I never thought I'd see this day. We'll do whatever we can to help, I happen to know someone who makes excellent cakes." Erza's eyes sparkled. "You're thinking about the wedding cake now aren't you, Erza?" Wendy asked. "It's going to be beautiful." Erza replied still clutching on to Natsu.

Managing to pry himself free from Erza's grasp and giving the ring back to Happy for safe keeping, Natsu composed himself. "I have an idea but I'm going to need your help to pull it off...". He laid out his ideas to the group. The girls all seemed really excited by his plan. Gray was clearly uncomfortable, anything related to romance made him nervous while Happy kept suggesting fish as a way to improve the plan.

That evening the sun had long since set. Natsu and Lisanna were sitting outside their straw hut. Lisanna looked up at the stars, "Natsu, do you remember when we were kids? We were like a family. I was the wife, you were the husband and Happy was our son." She giggled at the thought as she stroked Happy's blue fur. Natsu sniffed the air, good they were all in position.

"Yeah I remember, it's funny you should mention that because...". Hiding behind some bushes Lucy and Loke charged up their powers and fired a succession of shots into the air. Behind a tree, Erza had re-quipped into her Morning Star armour and using her duel blades she also set of a succession of energy blasts into the night sky. Natsu took in a deep breath and fired a volley of fire balls in the same direction. The combined shots all exploded, lighting up the sky with huge fiery letters.

Before the bright lights dimmed enough for Lisanna to make out the words Gray and Juvia locked their hands together and aimed towards the sky, "Unison Raid" they called out. A blast of ice and water rose high in the sky before erupting and sending a shower of frozen droplets over Natsu and Lisanna.

Looking up at the sky the words became clear. In huge burning letters were the words "Will You Marry Me?". Lisanna covered her mouth with both hands as tears started pouring down her face. Natsu stood in front of her, Happy was on his shoulder holding out the ring in his little paws. "Well you always imagined that we'd get married someday right?" He said with that big stupid grin on his face.

Lisanna threw her arms around him and pressed her lips firmly against his. Tears of happiness were now flooding from her eyes, "Yes." She finally blurted out, "Yes I will!". As Natsu slid the ring onto her finger everyone who was in on the plan ran towards the couple.

Makarov stood in front of the engaged youngsters, trying desperately to compose himself. But his big welling eyes betrayed him and he soon started crying loudly. Lucy and Wendy had latched onto Lisanna, the trio all shedding tears. Gray gave Natsu a fist bump.

"Thanks for the help, Gray."  
"You kidding? Wouldn't have missed it."

Juvia seemed shy as approached the happy couple, "Juvia made this for you." She handed them a pair of home-made dolls that looked exactly like Natsu and Lisanna, their hands were sewn together. "Juvia these are wonderful. I had no idea you could make these." Lisanna was impressed with the handy work on the dolls. A lot of care and love had gone into making them.

Blushing slightly, "Juvia has had lot's of practise." she replied as she thought of her room that was over flowing with replica's of Gray.

Composing himself Makarov approached, "That's truly a great gift Juvia. You've captured perfectly what we all see when we look at these two. Two people who have come together as one and no matter what hardships they may face, they will never let each other go."

The whole group moved in around the couple and held each other in a tight embrace. "Now we should probably return to the guild, I'm sure they'll be equally over joyed with the news as we are."


	21. Chapter 21

Natsu and Lisanna entered the guild hall together. Everyone was there, having drinks and generally having a good time. Mira saw the pair enter and immediately ran over, followed closely by Elfman. Lisanna raised her hand showing off the ring to her elder siblings, Mira squealed with joy as she latched onto her baby sister.

"So it all went according to plan then Natsu?" she asked as she pulled him in to share in the embrace. "Better actually. Everyone did a great job!". Natsu turned to his team and beamed brightly at them. Elfman raised Lisanna in the air, "You've got yourself a real man there, Lisanna!".

The commotion at the door had caught everyone's attention. "Hey! What's going on over there?" Cana yelled out. Lisanna held out her hand, "Natsu and I are engaged!". She declared happily. The entire hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Only to suddenly erupt with excitement as the mass of mages circled around the couple, bombarding them with questions and demanding details.

"Now this is an occasion to drink to!" Cana cried out. As she grabbed several bottles from behind the bar. "Not so fast, Cana!" Makarov yelled, she froze solid fearing what would happen. "An occasion like this requires the good stuff. Mira would be so kind as to retrieve a few bottles from the reserves in the cellar?". Makarov smiled mischievously, obviously some of the members were underage but he was going to make an exception tonight. "Right away, Master!". Mira ran off to fetch the reserves, Cana breathed a sigh of relieve.

With the drink following freely everyone was in high spirits, celebrating the couples engagement. Natsu was sitting with Lisanna, Mira and Elfman. Reedus was watching them carefully as he sketched away. Levy was getting the scoop from Lucy about how the whole engagement came about, blushing brightly as Lucy went in to details about how Natsu had, surprisingly, planned the whole thing.

Gildarts approached Lisanna and Natsu, placing a hand on there heads, "Congratulations kids, well I guess you're not kids anymore." He laughed heartily as he ruffled their hair. Cana was watching carefully, " _Gildarts really is like a protective father over those two. I have to win this year, so I can tell him."_ she thought to herself.

As the evening progressed Levy was sitting with Gajeel, Jet and Droy. Pondering what to get Lisanna and Natsu for an engagement present. Gajeel didn't seem all that interested but the evening did give him an excuse for something. Donning a sharp looking white suit and white Gajeel sat on the stage holding his treasured guitar in his hand.

He strummed the strings, "Shoo bee doo baa!". His gravely voice screeched out off the speakers on the stage. Natsu's eye twitched as the awful noise pierced his ears, flames engulfed his fist. Levy ran on to the stage as Natsu leapt towards Gajeel, "How about shoo bee doo don't!" he yelled. Levy grabbed Gajeel by the collar and dragged him off stage before Natsu could land his attack and destroy the guild hall.

But his attack never came, "Guess I'll have to get used to keeping my man under control like this, huh?". In the middle of the hall Lisanna had transformed into her giant rabbit form, a raging Natsu trapped under her feet. "You timed that extremely well." Mira praised her baby sister as she returned to her normal form, sitting gently on Natsu's back. "I just knew it would only be a matter of time before something set him off.".

Lisanna glanced over at Levy and mouthed the words "Thank you". Levy giggled and mouthed the words, "You're welcome" back to her. A confused Gajeel still in her grip, "Ya stronger than ya look shrimp!.". Keeping a bright smile on her face Levy waved her fingers and muttered to herself, suddenly the word STONE appeared and dropped down onto Gajeel. "Don't call me that." She said through gritted teeth. Jet and Droy were in hysterics, seeing the big bad Gajeel taken down by Levy was the funniest sight they had witnessed. Gajeel leapt to his feet and glared at the pair, "What's so funny?" he growled. The pair turned white and froze solid, unable to reply they held onto each other praying that Levy would protect them.

"So have you two actually considered a date yet?" Wendy asked. "It's a little soon for that and we can't delay the trials any further. We'll have that talk afterwards." Lisanna replied, amused by the young girls eagerness. Realising she was still sitting on her future husband, Lisanna jumped up and helped Natsu to his feet. "Wow you've got great instincts, how'd you manage that?" he asked, she placed her hand on the side of his face, "Because I know you." she giggled playfully.

As the evening wore on drunken bodies began to litter the guild hall. Reedus approached the couple and handed them a portrait he had painted. It was Natsu, Lisanna, Mira, Elfman and Happy as a family all smiling brightly sitting at a table together. "Reedus this is beautiful. When did you do this?" Lisanna asked, thrilled by his gift. "I started soon after you announced your engagement. I hope you like it.". Lisanna glanced at Natsu, who was beaming brightly, "We love it Reedus, thank you!". Lisanna planted a kiss on Reedus' cheek in appreciation for his efforts.

"Oi Natsu! Get over here, this rounds on me." Gray waved Natsu over to the bar. Erza stood next to Lisanna as the boys shared drinks at the bar. "When did those two get so chummy?" Lisanna asked, slightly confused by the state of the boys relationship. Erza laughed, "I guess they're really growing. I know Natsu will be in safe hands with you."

Erza smiled at Lisanna, "You all became really close during the two years I was gone, huh?". Erza glanced over at Natsu and Gray, "That's certainly true. We've been on some crazy adventures together and it's certainly bonded us far more than I would've thought possible. But still, none of us can handle Natsu quite like you can. Something about seems to resonate with him that stops him from going overboard.". Lisanna didn't quite understand what Erza meant, "How so?".

"Well you were able to pin Natsu down while he was in the middle of an attack. Even though you were using your Take Over magic, I've Natsu seen throw entire squads of enemies off him just to get to his target. Take good care of him, Lisanna." Erza stroked Lisanna's hair, "Don't worry about a thing, Erza. I won't let anything happen to him."


	22. Chapter 22

"Well, we'll see you on Tenrou tomorrow. Good luck both of you" Mira bid a cheerful farewell to Lisanna and Natsu. She had to leave with Erza and Gildarts as they were judging this years S-class trials.

"I guess that means we're going to be rivals for the next few days, Natsu." Lisanna beamed, her blue eyes shining brightly. "Yeah, do your best for Juvia OK?". She nodded before giving Natsu a passionate kiss. "Give it your all Natsu. I know you're ready for this.". Slamming his fists together, Natsu could barely contain his excitement, "Oh yeah! I'm all fired up now!".

Lisanna ran off to meet up with Juvia. Leaving Natsu and Happy to finish their preparations for tomorrow. With everything that went down with Oblivion there hadn't been much time to train but regardless Natsu was going to beat Erza for sure and become an S-class mage.

"She's right Natsu. You're definitely ready for the trials. But I hope you know there's a strong possibility you could end up facing Gildarts." Makarov had been watching the newly engaged couple from the guild hall doors. A determined grin spread across Natsu's lips, "Doesn't matter if it's Gildarts, Erza or even Mira! I'll defeat them all if I have too." Makarov laughed loudly, "You certainly don't lack spirit."

"Please! If anyone's going to beat Erza. It's going to be us!." Gray approached with Loke close behind. "Once she's out off the way I'm taking you down, Natsu!". Gray smiled, "Oh is that right? Well you better not hold back, because I'm going all out!". Natsu flashed a smile back at Gray.

Makarov was confused. These two had been rivals since they were children but now, they seemed to treating each other with respect. When and how did this happen? Still if it means fewer broken tables and chairs then this could only be a good thing.

"No holds barred huh? You wanna go now? You may not even make it to the trials!"  
"Is that right? Well bring it on Gray cos I'm all fired up!"

The pair began exchanging blows and quickly found themselves back in the guild hall. The sound of smashing furniture could be heard a mile away.

 _I guess I was hoping for the impossible there._ Makarov thought to himself. "Alright you brats. Settle down, save something for tomorrow at least!" he yelled as he entered the hall.

On a ship heading towards Tenrou. Erza, Mira and Gildarts were finalising the plans that Makarov had given them. "Who do you think Natsu is going to seek out first? Me or you, Gildarts?". Gildarts stroked his stubble as he thought about his answer, "That's a tough one to call. He wants to beat you as much as he wants to beat me." He laughed heartily as he thought about the many instances where Natsu had challenged him to fight. "He'll definitely seek one of us out though, kids got a sharp nose on him."

Mira had made drinks for everyone, "I think you'll both be seeing what he's truly capable off this time. His been waiting for this chance, he'll take it seriously.". She sat down next Erza and gazed out to the sea.

Back at Fairy Hills things weren't so calm. Levy puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "I might need those for...". She was interrupted by Gajeel removing even more books from her bag. "Ya ain't gonna need books shrimp!". Clenching her tiny fists in frustration, "How do you know? AND DON'T CALL ME SHRIMP!". Her hazel eyes glared at Gajeel.

A small smirk crossed his face, "Gi hi! Trust me, shorty. Ya ain't gonna need em'". He patted her headed, patronisingly as he removed the rest of the books from her bag. Everything about this man infuriated her. "What are you even doing in here anyway?! Men aren't allowed in the dorms!".

"Tch! Ain't it obvious?". His red eyes stared into hers, she blushed slightly as her heart started to beat faster. "I'm ya partner, so I need to make sure you don't pack any crap."

And like that, the moment was gone. "Hey! It isn't... I love books and reading!". Gajeel had a dismissive look on his face, "Ya need to get out more shrimp!".

SMACK!

Levy had found the thickest, heaviest book she could grab and slammed it into Gajeel's face, knocking him to the floor.

"GET OUT!"

A few doors down, Juvia and Lisanna had heard the commotion from Levy's room. "Should we go help her?" Juvia seemed concerned, "From the sounds of things it's Gajeel who needs help." Lisanna quipped.

Juvia was having different issues with her packing, "You know I think Gray will be bringing his own clothes. I don't think it's necessary for you to bring him more Juvia.". The bluenette blushed slightly, "Gray-sama has a habit of taking off his clothes. Juvia always packs spares." The girls giggled as they continued packing.

Later that evening all the S-class candidates and their partners were sat at a table in the guild hall. The anticipation was palpable, every one of them wanted to earn that S-class rank. The trials would pit them against each other and against other S-class mages. So for now they planned to enjoy the last night together as nakama because tomorrow they would be rivals.


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Sorry for the lack of any uploads for awhile. I had a bit of writer's block, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter and I'll try to get more up soon :)**

* * *

The next morning Natsu and Lisanna were making their way to Hargeon Port. They had quietly snuck out of the celebrations so they could be alone together, since they wouldn't get the chance while they were on Tenrou.

The other participants had already gathered at the port and were by no means surprised the couples tardiness. Before the group could start interrogating them, Makarov called out. "Alright! Everyone team up with your partners and come on board."

Lisanna turned to Natsu and gave him one more kiss before they became rivals for the next few days, "Good luck and don't hold anything back". She flashed him a smile before climbing onboard the ship with Juvia. Natsu waited a few moments before boarding, Happy seemed worried. "Natsu? Are you OK? Want a fish?".

Natsu placed a hand on the Exceed's head, "Don't worry about me buddy! Nothings going to stop me from becoming an S-class mage!". "Aye!" Happy cried cheerily as the ran onto the ship. As soon as his foot stepped on to the deck, Natsu buckled over and collapsed in a heap on the floor. "Make it stop...".

"ALREADY!?". The group cried out in unison. Makarov shook his head, "We haven't even cast off yet and still his motion sickness brings him down." He quietly giggled to himself.

"Listen up everyone." Makarov stood above them, "From this moment the S-class Trials are officially underway. Which means you and your partners are the only ones you can trust. You are now rivals, holding back just because you are all in the same guild is not going to aid you in these trials. It may seem harsh but it's an important part of holding the S-class rank, you must be strong enough to stand alone as well as with your nakama. You must learn when to trust and when to suspect. I expect great things from all of you. You have been chosen because I believe each of you as the potential to become an S-class. Good luck!".

The ship began to pull away from the port and began it's journey towards Tenrou. Natsu's face seemed to swell up and was as blue as the ocean, "Wendy... Help me...".

The petite bluenette was torn. She really wanted to help but she was Mest's partner and was supposed to consider Natsu a rival now. She pressed her fingers together, "I'm sorry Mr. Natsu but we're rivals now. I'm sorry!". Natsu raised his hand towards Wendy, "Traitor..." he managed to squeak out before collapsing once again into a heap.

Gajeel sat close to the edge of the ship, he kept his face down and stared at the floor. He seemed to be concentrating incredibly hard. Levy approached him out off concern but she quickly had to stifle a laugh as soon as she saw his face. His hard stare was completely undermined by his blue tone and puffed out cheeks. Levy couldn't contain herself and let out the laugh she had been trying to hold in. "Shut up... shrimp..." he mumbled as he desperately tried to maintain his composure. No way was he going to allow himself to look as pathetic as the Salamander.

 _Motion sickness must affect all Dragon Slayer's_ , she thought to herself. _But why isn't it affecting Wendy? Is it because of her healing magic?_. As levy considered this, Gajeel rose to his feet determined to show up Natsu. But the motion sickness came on even stronger, still he wasn't going to give. He rested his arm on Levy's head to support himself while also maintaining his image.

Lisanna stared at the crumpled mass that was her fiancée, a loving smile sat on her lips. She wanted to go other and look after him but she had to keep her feelings in check. She was here for Juvia and that's how it needed to stay until at least one of them was no longer able to compete. Juvia seemed to have forgotten this as she was busy staring at a half naked Gray, her mind awash with various fantasies.

Gray was killing time by relaxing with a drink, while Loke was busying eyeing up Lucy. Before forming a contract with her, Loke had been something of a player in Fairy Tail. The girls practically feel at his feet. But that life didn't interest him anymore, Lucy was all that mattered now.

Cana was already drinking despite Lucy's protests, while Elfman and Evergreen sat in an uncomfortable silence. There was an awkward atmosphere around them that hadn't escaped the notice of Ever's team mates, Bickslow and Freed. They had both noticed Ever had being staring at Elfman ever since Makarov first announced the S-class trials. Bickslow found the situation highly amusing but to Freed it was simple a matter of fact.

Happy, unsympathetically, was sitting on Natsu's back eating a fish, "You're not going to make an impressive S-class by acting like this, Natsu?" he mumbled with a mouthful of fish. "You're... not... helping...", was the young slayer's very weak reply.

Overall nobody seemed too concerned that they would soon have to fight each other. After all that was just another evening at the guild hall but this was going to be different. This time it meant something. But deep down they all that at the end of it they would all be going home together.

"There it is children! Tenrou Island. Our guilds holy ground and the final resting place of Fairy Tails first Master. Master Mavis". Makarov directed their attention to the front of the ship. The island itself didn't look all that much, safe for the enormous tree at it's centre.

Natsu seemed to make a miraculous recovery and quickly leapt to his feet, throwing Happy off his back and onto the floor. "Well you're suddenly feeling better." Gray remarked. Natsu looked confused before once feeling the sickness coming back on.

"Ya pathetic, Salamander!". Gajeel quipped, his feet planted heavily to the floor to keep himself upright. "What'd you say, bolt face?" Natsu snarled as he turned to face the Iron Dragon Slayer. The pair were viably shaking as they were both determined not to be the first to fall. The ship suddenly came to a stop, still a considerable distance from the island.

"Alright brats! Here's your first test. On the island are several paths labelled A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Three of these paths will bring to the current S-class mages of our guild. You will have to defeat them in order to move on to the next round. Four of the paths will pit two of the participants and their partners against each other in a no holds barred battle. You will have to defeat each other in order to move on to the next round. The remaining path will take straight through to the next round without any need to battle. Make it to the island first and you stand a better chance of finding the safe path. Begin!"


	24. Chapter 24

"Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!"

The blue exceed took hold off Natsu and took off at full speed towards the island. Juvia and Lisanna dived into the ocean in hot pursuit. Gray used his Ice Make magic to create a path from the ship to island, gliding along his icy path with Loke close behind.

Freed and Bickslow had already vanished. Leaving Gajeel, Levy, Lucy and Cana to swim to Tenrou. The four quickly dived in and made their way to the island.

Natsu and Happy were standing in front of a selection of caves labelled A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Sniffing the air, Natsu was trying to narrow down Erza's scent. But there were too many new smells preventing him from picking up a definite trail.

"No good. Too many strange smells. We're going to have to think about this one, Happy"  
"Are you sure that's wise?"  
"E! We'll take E!"  
"... Why?"

Natsu looked at his friend, confused. "E stands for Erza..." Before Happy could point out the stupidity of that reasoning, Natsu took off at a rate of knots through cave E. Happy quickly followed and a magic barrier formed over the entrance, to prevent the others from following them.

Juvia and Lisanna were the next to arrive. Juvia opted to go through cave G, "G is for Gray-sama!" the bluenette's cheeks flushed as she thought about her precious Gray. Lisanna sighed, "I imagine Natsu had a similar reasoning for choosing E.". The girls headed through cave G and once again a barrier formed behind them.

Natsu sped through the cave eager to once again challenge Erza, meanwhile Happy tried to catch up but was still dumbfounded by his friend's logic or rather the lack off. The small Exceed was still pondering this and hadn't noticed that Natsu had come to a sudden stop, he collided with Natsu's back pack before falling to the floor. Even though Happy was flying at a considerable speed the impact didn't make Natsu budge from his position, in fact he had barely felt it.

They had entered a large open are within the cave, it was like a ready-made arena and standing at the centre was a tall man with slicked back brown hair, stubbly beard and wearing a long brown cloak.

"Gildarts!" Natsu cried out happily. This was even better, if he could defeat Gildarts now then Erza would be no problem surely! "We're dead!" Happy called out knowing that they'd already lost.

Meanwhile Juvia and Lisanna were talking as they made their way through the cave towards their challenge, or rather Lisanna was being talked at about how wonderful Gray was. It wasn't so much that Juvia was so hopelessly devoted to Gray that bothered her, it was the constant comparisons and mentioning of Natsu's flaws that were starting to drain her patience slightly.

The pair walked into an opening, water was gushing through the cave towards the sea outside. Juvia cheered with delight being a water mage she now had the advantage. Lisanna couldn't share Juvia's victory as she had already glimpsed who they were up against. "Er… Juvia?" Lisanna spoke nervously and pointed up ahead.

The bluenette turned to where her partner was pointing and her heart sank. Blue mini skirt, Heart Kreuz armour and long flowing scarlet hair. "We're dead!" the pair cried as Erza stood looking down at them. A knowing smile on her face. Suddenly tremors could be felt erupting from somewhere quiet close to them.

It didn't take long for the trio to figure out the course. "And I was arrogant enough to think I was the one Natsu wanted to fight." Erza exclaimed, "Guess I was wrong." Lisanna chimed in, "Actually Erza, I think it's just a happy accident." She laughed nervously but at the same time was concerned for Natsu, there was no way he could beat Gildarts.

 _Do your best Natsu!_

Outside on the beach the rest of the participants had gathered. Gray noticed that E and G had already been taken. "I guess flame brain figured E stood for Erza, that's about his level of thinking" he mocked. "Well if that's true then Juvia must've chosen G for her beloved Gray-sama!" Loke interrupted. Gray's face darkened as he pictured Juvia and Natsu both conjuring up their "genius" deductions.

"Oi Gray! If you want Juvia to stop acting like that maybe you should give her little…"

"Are you drunk already, Cana?"  
"Hey it's two o'clock somewhere right?"

Lucy was shocked by Cana's flippant attitude towards the whole S-class trials and wanted to desperately keep her making any lewd comments about other people's love lives.

Not wasting anytime and desperate to finally square off with someone, Gajeel flung Levy over his shoulder and bolted down entrance F. Freed and Bickslow charged down entrance B. Gray and Loke took D while Wendy and Mest took H. Leaving Lucy and Cana with entrance C.

Lucy was keen to get going but Cana had passed out, drunk, on the beach. This was going to be a long day for the Celestial mage.


	25. Chapter 25

"You called me out, for THIS!?" a furious blue haired mermaid glared at the pitiful blonde girl before her. "I couldn't think of anyone else who could help! Cancer wanted to cut her hair and Loke is Grey's partner…"

"I'm not interested in your excuses! Are you so inept that can't even wake up your friend without help?!" Aquarius face darkened as she leant in close to Lucy, "Please don't kill me!" the Celestial mage cried out in terror.

"Pathetic. At this rate you'll never get a boyfriend"  
"HOW IS THAT RELEVENT!?"

Before the angry spirit could reply the ground beneath them started shaking violently. Cracks began forming in the surrounding rocks, huge boulders started falling from the collapsing walls. Aquarius' eye twitched in annoyance as she was now forced to rescue the screaming blonde and her drunken friend, the celestial spirit raised her urn above her head and began to gather large quantities of water. Without hesitating, or even considering those around her, Aquarius unleashed a torrent of water into the air catching Lucy and Cana and knocking out off the path of the falling rocks.

"Aquarius!" Lucy yelled as she soared through the air. The Water Bearer stood in silence as she watched the girls fly off into the distance, "Tch! Spoiled brat" she mutter before disappearing back to the celestial world.

Meanwhile in the cave Happy was disparity clinging to a rock to prevent himself from being blown away. In the centre Natsu and Gildarts were in a battle to determine who was more stubborn, Natsu had leapt right into battle and aimed his Fire Dragon Fist directly at Gildarts.

Undeterred the laid back Gildarts simply held out his hand and caught the Dragon Slayer's flaming fist. The impact was so great it seemed like the entire island was shaking, cracks were forming around the room and the ceiling was threatening to collapse.

The pink haired youngster leapt back, a huge grin on his face "How'd you like that, Gildarts?" The stubble faced man gave a small smirk, "Don't get ahead of yourself Natsu. That was a powerful attack but you still haven't managed to land a single hit on me yet."

Happy was staring in disbelief, "Natsu! You forced Gildarts back!"

"Hey! You ruined my moment! I wanted to point that out!" Natsu roared in annoyance. As the pair bickered Gildarts looked at the ground and saw two distinct lines in the ground. He was so focused on blocking Natsu's attack that he didn't realise that he had to dig his heels into the ground just hold the youngster back.

 _Impressive, Natsu. You've become so much stronger than I had anticipated._

He glanced up and watched the care free slayer argue with Happy, flames erupting from his mouth.

 _But strength isn't everything_.

"Water Slicer!" Juvia yelled as a wave of curved water blades flew towards Erza. The attack was slow and the Requip mage easily dodged the attack, she jumped to the side and stood on a rock in the middle of the stream. Her brown eyes searched the room, _where's Lisanna?_

The white haired jumped in the air behind Erza, "Take Over Animal Soul!" Erza turned to see a giant purple rabbit falling towards her, she quickly leapt backwards narrowly avoiding being squashed. As she tried to compose herself Juvia launched a second attack.

"Water Cyclone!" a whirling torrent of water strikes Erza. Juvia is noticeably delighted that her attack worked. Suddenly the whirling cyclone disperses, spraying water all around the cavern. Juvia glanced up to see that Erza had requipped into her Sea Empress armour.

Lisanna and Juvia glanced at each other nervously. They had attacked Erza with full force with little to no effect and with her Sea Empress armour equipped all of Juvia's attacks would be completely nullified.

"I have to commend you two for your tactics. Your timing was excellent and you work well as team. However…"

Erza's brown eyes turned cold as she stared at the worn out mages before her. "You two just don't have the power to be able to beat me"

Happy and Natsu were still bickering, even during an S-class trial Natsu was completely unfocused. "I'm impressed Natsu." Gildarts interrupted their argument, "But you'll need more than just strength in order to become an S-class. You need to focus, allowing yourself to get distracted leaves you wide open to attack"

Natsu looked confused but before he could responder a grid like pattern appeared on the ground beneath him. Suddenly the ground dispersed in the form of small cubes causing Natsu to fall into the hole left behind. Letting out a laugh Gildarts waited for the Dragon Slayer to emerge.

There was a long silence and no sign of Natsu even attempting to get out. "Oi, Natsu if you don't come out soon I'll have to fail you for…" He was cut off as he felt the ground beneath begin to heat up rapidly, cracks quickly began form before flames erupted through the ground and engulfed Gildarts.

Natsu quickly followed his whole body covered in flames, "I'm all fired up now!" Gildarts emerged from the flames, a huge smile on his face, "Fire Dragon Roar!" The resulting explosion caused more tremors and cracks to form, several boulders fell from the ceiling.

"You've become a lot stronger Natsu, I'm impressed. This has giving me a good feel for your skill level. You may not have defeated me but as your examiner I think you deserve to move on to the next round"

"No way!" Natsu yelled, "I'm going to beat you Gildarts! What's the point of becoming S-class if I can't even do that?"

Gildarts sighed, "Yeah, I had a feeling you were going to say that" the whole seemed to shake as a white aura surrounded his body, "But I'm not you'll wanna keep this up once you've seen a full power"

The atmosphere in the cave became tense, something was stirring in Natsu a feeling he had never felt before. He felt a tightness in his chest as the pressure began to build.

"In order to walk the path of magic and eventually reach its peak. There's one thing you still lack, let me show you."

The aura exploded outwards and upwards as Gildarts began to release his power. A brilliant light seemed to envelope his body, his eyes glowed a menacing red as his power continued to grow. The tightness in Natsu's chest grew stronger, the sight before him was unlike anything he had ever seen. The power was so far greater than anything had felt before. His whole body trembled, he wanted to attack but his body wouldn't move. Something was preventing him, what was this feeling?

Pulling himself together Natsu forced himself to charge towards Gildarts, his body felt stiff and heavy. As he got closer to his target, the stronger the feeling of dread became, choosing to ignore it Natsu clenched his fist, engulfing it in flames and went for the attack.

Gildarts eyes widened, staring hard at the young slayer. Natsu stumbled, he was afraid, his body already knew this but now so did his mind. Throughout all his battles he had never once been afraid, never knew how it truly felt to be at the mercy of someone more powerful than himself. At that moment he knew, his usually tactic and continued attacks and overwhelming strength wasn't going to work this time.

He stared at the monster before him, the power continuing to rise. The flames around his fists started to shrink down, before dying out completely. His fear had now taking away his will to fight, he now knew how it felt to be completely overwhelmed and how it felt to be completely without hope. His arms dropped to his sides as he stumbled backwards, his down in shame. The once care free dragon slayer feel to his knees, "I… accept defeat…" he declared weakly.

The white aura disappeared and the pressure returned to normal. Gildarts looked down at the boy before him, still trembling with fear and fighting back tears. However Gildarts was proud of what Natsu had achieved in that moment.

"A wise choice. I applaud anyone who has the courage to stand up and face their enemies. However the mages who are the most courageous are those exceptional few who know when to stand down. Remember Natsu there's nothing wrong with feeling fear, after all how would we come to know our own weaknesses? You need to know them in order to become a stronger and gentler person, a necessity for those who want to be S-class. Now that I've shared this knowledge with you… You pass kid"

Natsu was stunned. How could he have passed? "But I didn't… Beat you…"

"Don't argue with me. I'm your examiner and I say you passed. You've made it through the first round but this is just the beginning. You know how Master can be, I'm sure this was nothing compared to what he's got in store for you. Have confidence in yourself, I know you can do it. Now that we've finished your test let me tell you something as a friend"

Natsu gazed up at Gildarts through watery eyes, he couldn't hold back his tears anymore.

"Possessing powerful magic is not the be all end all. One thing can appreciate is your hunger to win, your burning desire for victory. I say that because I'm just like you, I don't want to lose either. I'll take you on again anytime. Now, go and become an S-class mage"


	26. Chapter 26

Lisanna struggled to remain upright. She had no energy left, her knees were weak and her vision was starting to blur. To her right, Juvia wasn't faring much better, both had thrown everything they had at Erza but nothing had landed.

The Scarlett S-class stared down at the pair before her, "You've fought well. But you both have a long way to go before you're ready to become S-class."

"WATER… SLICER…" Juvia made one last ditch effort to beat the Requip mage. Unfortunately, she only had enough strength to form a single blade, Erza smiled as the projectile slowly grew closer. Erza raised her sword, effortlessly slicing through Juvias attack while simultaneously unleashing a powerful whirlpool.

Both Lisanna and Juvia screamed as they were thrown around the arena. The power from Erzas' attack was insanely strong, yet she barely put any effort into the attack. Eventually the water died down and the girls came to rest on the rocks, unconscious. Erza smiled, "The end" she declared as she requipped into her Heart Kreuz armour.

Meanwhile, Natsu had wondered off to get his around the difference between him and Gildarts. He had never felt that much power before, he had never felt fear before. He continued to aimlessly wonder into a woodland area.

" _Natsu…"_

A voice suddenly echoed through the trees. Glancing around the area Natsu tried his hardest to pin point the voices origin. He sniffed… Nothing. No scent, not even from the other Fairy Tail members.

" _Natsu…"_

The voice repeated. This time it sounded familiar.

"NATSU!"

The young Dragon Slayer spun around to see a figure emerging from the trees. Almost choking on his own breath, Natsu managed to blurt out

"Gildarts!?"

Gildarts stepped into the light and stared intensely at Natsu with an unsettling smirk on his face.

Back at the camp Juvia and Lisanna were both resting, heavily bandaged and obviously in pain. With them were Wendy, Mest, Freed, Bickslow, Gray, Loke, Lucy, Cana, Gajeel and Levy.

Gajeel was obviously in a foul mood, Levy keenly trying to cheer him for picking the safe route. Wendy, Mest, Freed and Bickslow had all lost their respective battles. The only pair still to return were Evergreen and Elfman who had the huge misfortune of picking the route that lead to Mirajane.

"You've all done well. Those of you who fell in the first round remember this. Always pick yourselves back up, failure is merely an obstacle to test your resolve. Regroup, rebuild that resolve and you will overcome that obstacle"

Makarov's words helped to pick up the spirits of those who fell and rejuvenated the members who were ready to move on to the next round. "As soon as Evergreen, Elfman and Mirajane return I will inform you of the results and give you instructions for the next round"

 _Sniff Sniff_

Natsu glared at Gildarts but he didn't smell right. "Who are you?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the imposter.

"Ha! I should've known this form wouldn't fool you for long but I'm disappointed you don't recognise me…"

Gildarts suddenly disappeared.

"After all. We've gotten to know each other so well…"

The imposter had somehow managed to get behind Natsu and was mockingly whispering into his ear. Natsus fist erupted with flames as he swung around to land a punch on whatever or whoever this imposter was. Only to have his fist glide effortlessly through its body.

Natsu shared in shock. Remembering what he felt when he fought the real Gildarts. The imposter smirked, "What's wrong Natsu? You seem distressed."

The flames around his fists died out as the panic steadily increased. "Fire Dragon…", Natsu got ready for another attack.

The faux Gildarts laughed manically, "You still haven't worked it out have you. You were always so slow."

"ROAR!"

Natsu unleashed a furious attack that passed right through Gildarts' body, setting fire to the surrounding foliage. The imposter let out a disappointing sign, "Looks like I'm going to have to spell it out for you. I'm not really here. I'm inside you Natsu" the smirk twisted into an evil grin.

"I've been waiting for the right time to consume you and now thanks to Gildarts destroying that… detestably strong will of yours, that time is now."

Natsu could feel the dread rising and his chest tightening, "Who… Are… You?"

Meanwhile Elfman and Evergreen were celebrating their victory over Mirajane. Mira feeling slightly embarrassed that she allowed her guard to drop after Evergreen revealed she and Elfman planned to get married. An obvious ploy but it worked, with Mira distracted the pair were easily able to overpower her.

"Mira-nee. Are you ok? Lisanna ran up to her older sister. Mira glanced over Lisanna's injuries, "I'm fine but you're clearly worse for wear. Who were you up against?"

Lisanna looked down at the ground, "Erza" she muttered. Letting out an amused giggle, Mira placed her arms around her baby sister, "I'm sure you and Juvia did your very best"

"They really did." Overhearing the conversation, Erza approached and place a hand on Lisanna's shoulder, "You're getting stronger, Lisanna. Keep it up and I have no doubt that you'll be up for S-Class"

The three laughed amongst themselves as Makarov stood on a rock overlooking his brats. Despite the ferocity of the battles, spirits were high.

"My children. It's time to announce the teams advancing to the next round. Gajeel and Levy after successfully passing through the safe route."

" _Tch…"_ A deeply disgruntled Gajeel continued to stew in his annoyance while Levy nervously waved and laughed at everyone looking at them.

"Gray and Loke having defeated Wendy and Mest. Cana and Lucy having defeated Freed and Bickslow. Elfman and Evergreen having managed to overcome Mirajane and finally Natsu and Happy having defeated Gildarts in an intense battle and honourable display of humility"

"WHAT!"

The crowd cried out. The very thought of the hot-headed Slayer defeating Gildarts seemed impossible. Makarov scanned the faces before him, he spotted Happy hovering over the basket of fish but no sign of Natsu.

"Where is Natsu?"

Back in the woods the faux Gildarts stared at Natsu, "You still haven't worked it out? Always so slow." The imposter raised his right hand, purple flames blazing. Gildarts seemed to be fading away from the feet up.

"It's time Natsu. You now belong to me, fall Dragon Slayer. Fall into Oblivion!"

The manic form before Natsu had now completely disappeared. With panic, still tight in his chest he attempted to head back to the camp only to be halted in his tracks. He could a single heartbeat that seemed to echo in his head.

Suddenly Natsu's body suddenly erupted with purple flames. He screamed in agony as he could feel Oblivion's power consuming him.


End file.
